


Ad Astra

by Kolivans (arka_r)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angry Librarians in Space, Awkward Crush, Family Fluff, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Pre-Relationship, Science Fiction, Sheith Big Bang 2017, Space Battles, Space Library, Space bureaucracy, The Blade of Marmora - Freeform, Time Travel, Unresolved Plot Points, dads of marmora, space adventures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 03:24:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12099651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/pseuds/Kolivans
Summary: Keith was a half Human-Galra who grew up aboard the Exploration Vessel Marmora. When a suspicious half-Galra woman hired the crew to retrieve a shuttle, Keith had no clue that it would change his life and the fate of the entire Known Universe.AU where neither the Galra Empire or the Altea Empire took over the Known Universe.Pre-relationship SheithMinor/background relationships refer to: Thace/Ulaz, Allura/Kolivan, Zarkon/HaggarArt by @lucia-ik.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i want to cry i finally finished this fic...
> 
> this fic kinda... took a different route than what i originally drafted, but shit happens and here it goes ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
>  **HUGE THANKS TO:**  
>  -my amazing artist @[lucia-ik](https://lucia-ik.tumblr.com) (see her art [here](http://lucia-ik.tumblr.com/post/165444304824/my-artwork-for-the-sheithbigbangs-story-ad-astra))  
> -my beta @[revasnaslan](https://revasnaslan.tumblr.com/)
> 
> (link to art coming soon)

Keith pulled the  _ Marmora _ out of hyper-jump right on the edges of the Plixora System, a circumbinary star system with seven planets, and was immediately greeted by an asteroid looming just outside the front viewer.

In hindsight, that was his fault. He pulled out a few par-ticks too soon, which caused the ship to end right at the edges of the system, where asteroids of varying sizes were orbiting both stars. The asteroid right in front of the ship was large enough to smash a hole through their hull, and Keith could hear Kolivan cuss out loud.

Slamming the thruster, he managed to narrowly avoid the asteroid. The ship jolted slightly, but according to the sensors, there was no impact. 

From the communication console, Keith could hear Thace attempting to hide his chuckles.

“Oops”, Keith deadpanned without any remorse at all, turning to face the captain of the ship, and his dad, Kolivan, who was frowning deeply at him.

Keith knew he would get an earful about this later.

“Open the hailing frequencies, Thace”, Kolivan let out an exasperated sigh, voice lowering into a mutter, though it was still clear enough for Keith to pick up. “What did I do wrong to deserve such bratty attitude… he used to be such a nice cub.”

“As if you weren’t a bratty cub too”, Antok, the First Officer, gently reminded them.

This time, Thace didn’t even bother hiding his laughter. It echoed on the bridge and Keith turned briefly to see the older Galra shook from the force of his laughter.

“I’d fire you all if I could”, Kolivan grumbled, before jabbing sharply to Antok’s direction. “And that’s  _ rhetorical! _ Don’t start reciting the Codes at me!”

“The Imperial Spacefaring Code, Number Seven-Three-Nine Point Two: Unless agreed upon contract, captain of the ship cannot fire permanent crew under any circumstances”, Keith said from the helm, feeling incredibly pleased that the whole bridge crew was on his side at teasing Kolivan right in this moment.

“You forget Point Four, in which I can fire you all for mutinous thoughts”, Kolivan shot back, though their words were without heat.

“Oh, but the Imperial Bonding Affairs states that mutinous thoughts do not include familial teasing”, Antok added. “Since Thace, Ulaz, and I are your brothers-in-arms and Keith your son, you cannot fire us.”

“Admit it, Captain. You’re stuck with us for the rest of your natural life”, Thace said from his communication console.

Kolivan only grumbled in return, but Keith caught a brief twitch of smile before it was replaced with their stern captain face once again.

After assuming contact with the Plixora-6 Communication Hub, Keith took the  _ Marmora  _ to dock on the orbital base. The procedure was actually smoother than his usual docking and Keith actually felt proud about it. Finally, all those quintants in the simulator paid off. Even so, Kolivan still gave him a judgemental grunt for it.

Keith gave Kolivan an eyeroll in return.

“Resume that attitude and I will not be taking you down to the planetside”, Kolivan said without looking up from their datapad, as they signed the last few legalities for the crew to enter planetside. Keith could tell from the way Kolivan’s brow ridges twitched that they weren’t really serious about the threat. It still made Keith pout, though.

“He’s joking”, Antok chuckled as he went to Keith’s side to ruffle his hair. “Nice work with the docking. Go get changed so we can go planetside.”

Beaming, Keith flashed Kolivan a smug grin before dashing off the bridge, leaving a disgruntled father and two amused sort-of uncles behind.

—

Plixora-6 had been one of the Empire’s colonies before it had turned into a multicultural hub. It was like a melting pot where different beings lived side by side to run the largest rest area for weary spacefarers in this side of galaxy. They had everything too; from the Balmeran crystal replacement center, Altean shops that sold teludav lenses and raw scaultrites, Olkarian repair shops, Unilu swap markets, to a Veloxian Archive.

The Archive was where they were heading first. Located in Sector GN-8 where artificial structures meshed perfectly with the tropical rainforest, the Archive stuck out like a crown jewel above the hill.

The Archive was using a Colonial Era building and it showed on the Axocarian architecture, with sharp angles and glowing blue veins set into the grey stone. A large statue of Zarkon the Protector greeted them at the entrance.

The Galran warrior of ancient times was wearing ceremonial armor, his arm outstretched as he held a holograph of the old Daibazaal System in his palm. The statue was clearly a newer addition, though it was already worn down by weather and age. Keith was reading the plaque at the bottom of the statue’s feet when the acolytes let them all inside. 

The walls on the hall inside the Archive was lined with reliefs about glorious battles post-Colonial Era. This wasn't the first time Keith had been inside the Archive or seen the reliefs, but there were so many details carved into the stone that Keith could stare at them for _ hours _ and still find things that he missed in his earlier observations.

He wanted to do that right now, but Antok flicked his tail impatiently when he lingered behind. Pouting, Keith hurried to catch up to Kolivan, Antok, and the acolytes.

Archivemaster Kala had been really excited to see Kolivan. She was the one who had commissioned the  _ Marmora _ crew to map the system just beyond the Great Eye Nebula. That particular sector had been tricky to navigate, thanks to the pulsar wind from the nebula.

“Meticulous work as usual, Master Kolivan!” the Archivemaster gushed over the holographic projection where each of the dots were labeled and classified. “I'll be transferring your GAC shortly.”

“We also have some  _ rare  _ sample materials from the solar system”, Kolivan said.

“That's quite a nerdy way to say rock collection”, Antok muttered under his breath. Keith snickered while Kolivan glared at them furiously in a futile attempt to shut them up.

The Archivemaster made a high-pitched squealing that was loud enough to stop their internal bickering. Her scales shifted from dour green into bright, jubilant yellow in a blatant display of her excitement.

“Oh. My.  _ Stars! _ Master Kolivan, you  _ need _ to show me them!”

Kolivan put the briefcase he was carrying on the desk with a flair— _ huh _ , Keith had been wondering why Kolivan brought that down to the planet surface. As Kolivan proudly showed off his dumb rock collection, Keith hung back and decided to engage in a thumb war with Antok.

He was lucky that Kolivan managed to seal an added deal, because he was this close from getting his thumb destroyed. Not long after, they all were being escorted out of the Archive building.

It was raining now, and thick grey clouds swirled over their heads as it poured down heavily. The rain made mud puddles on the ground and Keith enjoyed splashing his foot on them as they walked down the alley. Kolivan didn’t even bother hiding his disgust as they sidestepped the puddle with uncanny agility.

“Rainwater is really weird”, Keith said as he tightened his hold on his raincoat and looked up to the sky. “Can you even drink it?”

“Don’t even think about trying it”, Kolivan warned. “If you get dyspery, I will put you under quarantine myself.”

“Dys…” Keith furrowed his brows before it clicked to him, and he scrunched his face in disgust. “Did you mean  _ dysentery? _ Ew, Dad!”

Keith remembered reading Ulaz’ books about Human diseases a while back. In that moment, he’d never been so grateful that his Galran genes made him practically immune to most Human diseases. Sure, he still caught the flu and coughs occasionally, especially when he had been around a large group of Humans recently. But he was thankfully spared from everything else.

“So, you not gonna tell the Archivemaster that the rocks you sold to her are not actually that rare?” Antok expertly switched the subject.

“It  _ is _ rare”, Kolivan shrugged. “In  _ this side _ of galaxy. I wouldn’t sell it to her otherwise.”

Keith shared a look with Antok, before shrugging. The 'rock samples' had earned them a pretty good amount of GAC that undoubtedly would go towards crew accommodations. Kolivan was only doing their job to keep their heap of junk of a ship and ragtag crew running.

Spacefaring was an expensive business — very rewarding, yes, but also expensive.

And that was exactly the reason why they were taking another job so soon after the last one. An odd job had been posted on the Imperial Spacefaring Board earlier this  _ quintant _ . The job itself wasn't that odd—retrieving a stranded shuttle—and simple enough for anyone to do.

What was odd was the payment offered and the crew requirement. Both were too high for a job so simple.

"Are you really sure that this job is not a scam?" Keith asked. He already had his datapad up and open so he could read the assignment details that Kolivan had downloaded earlier.

"That's why we'll be meeting our new employer now", Kolivan answered.

The Croaking Tavern was a dingy hole that sat on the lower region of Sector GN-8, but it was pretty famous among the spacefarers. People would usually gather there to meet their employers or agree upon new assignments. When they arrived there, the guard on the front entrance stopped them. He was a huge Galra with blocky sagittal crest and his over-excited Yupper.

“No cubs or kits allowed”, the Galra grumbled. Keith bristled, but Kolivan beat him to it.

“He’s not a cub”, Kolivan said coolly. “He’s half-Human, that’s why he’s small.”

Keith would be mildly offended if Kolivan wasn’t telling the truth. Humans  _ were  _ physically smaller than Galra, this was a known fact, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t capable of defending themselves. There was a reason why they were very notorious as spacefarers across the galaxy.

Next to him, Antok at least still had the decency to hide his snickering. Rolling his eyes, Keith stepped on Antok’s tail, pulling out a surprised yelp from the bigger Galra. Antok glared at him, grumbling as he nursed the appendage.

Kolivan watched the whole interaction and sighed exasperatedly.

The guard let them in, eventually, and Keith jumped slightly on his feet as loud noises slamming into his eardrums. He wasn’t the only one in this. Kolivan had their ears pinned back and their frown deepened, while Antok’s flicked to the sides of his head, undoubtedly to turn off his corrective hearing implant.

Lucky jerk.

Kolivan entered first, with Antok following behind them and Keith tucking himself behind Antok. His uncle was so big that people would part when he passed the thick crowd. With Antok’s tail wrapped firmly around his wrist, Keith didn’t have to fear getting lost as he let his eye wander.

Beings from all over the galaxy piled together in coordinated chaos. The Galra people tended to group with their own kind, as did the Olkari and the Balmerans. The Unilu and the Ursii were more sociable, wedging themselves between other beings as they tried to chat them up for deals. Humans were rarer, but if there were any, they were usually being crowded by other beings who wanted them in their crew.

Keith heard Antok grumbling out something and quickly realized that he’d fallen behind. He sidled up next to Antok, who firmly held his shoulders in place, and noticed that Kolivan had found their potential employer.

Their employer looked Galran, with purple skin, odd blue eyes, and yellow sclerae, but this Galra was missing something that all full-blooded Galra were naturally born with: a sagittal crest.

Either that, or the crest was hidden underneath the thick white hair, Keith didn’t know. Even so, the hair was enough to tell him that their employer was a half-Galra, at best, since none of the full-blooded Galra had it.

Full-blooded Galra had manes, not hair. This was how Keith found out that Kolivan was only three-quarter Galra. So was Ulaz, who was half-Galra. Not that their genetic status mattered, but it was always nice to see another half-Galra like him. They were pretty rare, apparently, since not all beings were biologically compatible to produce an offspring with the Galra.

“I am Allura”, she introduced herself, her feminine voice was clear enough to be heard. “This is my companion, Coran.”

Allura and Coran didn’t sound like Galran names, but the one called Coran looked Galran enough with whippy limbs and a simple crest like Thace’s. He stood a head taller than Allura, with his hands behind his back and a gun strapped to his side. He held himself like a warrior, a bodyguard, and Keith wondered if Coran was also Allura’s second-in-command.

“I am Kolivan. This is my second-in-command, Antok, and my son, Keith. My son is also the pilot of our ship”, Kolivan introduced them, placing his hand on Keith’s other shoulder. Stuck between two Galra, both taller than him, Keith nearly buckled under the weight of their hands.

“He looks… very young”, Allura hesitated and Keith held the urge to roll his eyes.

“He’s half-Human”, Kolivan replied almost without missing a beat. “And he’s a certified pilot. We can show you his qualification and license, if you like.”

Allura seemed to be considering this, before nodding curtly. They all sat down on the chairs— Keith had to sit on Antok’s massive thigh because there wasn’t enough chairs for everyone. It made him look ridiculous, but well, he just had to deal with this sometimes. At least Antok wasn’t using his head as a chin rest.

“This assignment of yours”, Kolivan began. Keith took out his datapad from his bag and handed it to them. “You want us to retrieve a shuttle, correct?”

“No, no. We want you to escort us to the Arusia System and retrieve the shuttle”, Allura told them. “We may also ask you help us with the shuttle repair, depending on its condition when we find it. Is that agreeable?”

The Arusia System?

… Keith never heard about it, so it was probably somewhere close to the borders. That would explain the compensation reward and the accommodation fee attached to it, since taking more people into their ship would cost more. Food, housing, insurance— and that wasn’t covering the taxes and passing permits.

That still didn’t explain the ludicrously high reward she was offering, though.

“That is agreeable”, Kolivan nodded. “However, about the compensation reward—”

“If it’s too small, I will raise it twice— no,  _ three times _ the amount I promised on the board”, Allura interrupted.

Keith’s eyes widened.

_ Three times?! _ That would—that was close to  _ thirty  _ million GAC total! Practically bigger than any jobs they had ever taken. And for what? Retrieving a shuttle?!

Keith had to have let out a surprised noise or something, because then Antok dropped the weight of his upper body on top of Keith, practically smothering him in his hug. Keith jabbed the heel of his palm at the underside of Antok’s jaw because  _ what in the name of Mother Universe— _

Allura looked at them, slightly bewildered, while Kolivan merely spared them a disinterested glance. But there was a glint in Kolivan’s eye that Keith was too familiar with. It was the same glint they had when facing an inexperienced employers.

Kolivan would suck this woman’s GAC dry. There was no doubt in that.

“The Arusia System lies too close to the Outer Rim for my comfort. I will not risk my crew’s lives for anything under fifty million GAC”, Kolivan placed the datapad in their hand to the table.

The Outer Rim. Well… now Keith understood why the Galra woman had offered such outrageously high bid. The Outer Rim was the space beyond the Empire borders, where creatures of unimaginable horror lurked. It was a dangerous space to travel.

The other Galra— Coran —looked like he was going to haggle, but Allura was faster.

“Deal.”

Antok was still rubbing his sore jaw when Keith sank into his chest. It seemed like they were really going for this assignment, he mused, as Kolivan and Allura were hashing out the details. As the negotiation was drawing to an end, Allura looked like she remembered about something.

“About the crew requirement… I hope you don’t mind that I hired my own Human crew?” she asked.

Kolivan paused just as they were about to rise from their seat, their brows twitching slightly. Kolivan did mind  _ very much _ , Keith could tell. His captain was very picky about people they hired for their missions, but that was just how they worked. The  _ Marmora _ was essentially their home, the only place where their dysfunctional family lived. Anyone who would potentially endanger the crew would not be hired into the mission— or if they did get hired, would be marooned. 

Of course, it was also within Allura’s right to hire her own crew as an employer. She seemed headstrong, but Kolivan could be really stubborn if they wanted to. Keith thought it would be fun to see these two to butt heads even before the mission started.

“I wish to see their qualifications first”, Kolivan eventually decided, rising from their seat. Keith and Antok quickly followed suit. Keith took the datapad from Kolivan’s hand and put it back inside the folds of his raincoat.

“That’s agreeable”, Allura tilted her head. “Though I was told he is the best Human-for-hire in this side of galaxy? He’s known as the Champion.”

Keith snapped his head back to her, eyes wide.

The Champion was a famous Human-for-hire, a true adventurer with multiple skills and impossibly high hiring rates. He supposedly earned the nickname when his crew was captured by a slaver ship and he had to fight in a barbaric gladiatorial arena, before he finally staged a riot to free the slaves. Eventually, the Imperial forces caught up with the slaver ship and awarded the Champion handsomely for his bravery and ferocity.

There were rumors about how the Champion once jumped into a volcano to save his employer, or how he took a job to destroy an illegal Quintessence refinery and  _ succeeded _ . Keith was slightly on the fence about whether they were all just rumors to increase his pay grade or not. But the fact was, the Champion was highly recognized Human-for-hire, even among the Imperial forces.

For this woman—for Allura to hire someone as good as the Champion and not even knowing about him… was she  _ really _ that inexperienced in the whole spacefaring business?

Either that, or she got  _ utterly _ scammed and the one she hired was not the Champion after all.

“I still would like to see his qualifications”, Keith watched as Kolivan collected themselves and gave Allura a parting nod.

Keith bounded next to Kolivan as the three of them exited the Croaking Tavern.

“You think she really hired the Champion?” he asked, looking up to Kolivan’s face. It was still raining, so their face was half-shrouded by the hood of their raincoat. Still, Keith could see them pursing their lips slightly.

“I do not know”, they answered. “Either way, the Trials would be amusing to watch.”

That, Keith decided, he couldn’t agree more.

—

The three of them returned to the orbital base for the night. Thace and Ulaz greeted them when they reached the shuttle bay, both dressed in casual outfits and ready to head down for a night of well-earned shore leave.

Usually, Keith would pout when he couldn’t join the others for a fun night out— “Maybe in a few years”, Kolivan would always reason —but this time, he was too tired to care. The raincoat did its best to protect him from the heavy rain, but he still felt cold. Rainwater clung to his furless skin like mud, and he’d rather have a long hot soak in the  _ Marmora  _ than join the adults.

Well, the  _ older _ adults.

“Oh, you’re back already!” Slav perked up from where he was lying down on the nest bed in the common area. Five of his hands were tapping away on three different datapads, not pausing for a bit even when Keith trudged into the room. Bytors and their multitasking ability, Keith swore.

“Please tell me you fixed the hot tub because I  _ really _ need it  _ now _ ”, Keith groaned as he peeled himself out of the sticky raincoat and let it drop on the floor.

“Who do you think I am? Of  _ course _ I fixed it”, Slav made a small ‘humph’ as he crossed two of his arms, eyeing the pile of wet clothes Keith left behind. “Kolivan won’t like it if you leave your clothes lying around.”

Keith grumbled, but eventually picked up his raincoat and headed down to the bathroom, spring in his steps. Once he filled the tub full of hot scented water, he immediately went to sink down to his chin and let himself relax.

Not all Galra liked water baths. Some, like Kolivan and Thace, preferred dust baths. When the  _ Marmora _ went through a major renovation a few years back, the rest of the crew rallied against them to install a hot water tub. Of course, with Keith, Antok, Ulaz, and Slav joining forces, Kolivan and Thace were severely outvoted and they ended up installing both a water tub and a sand tub.

But like everything else aboard the  _ Marmora _ , things broke down from time to time and not even the hot tub was spared from this fate. The worst part of it, Slav had been too busy to fix it for  _ weeks _ .

Until now.

Keith stayed until the water eventually cooled down. Then, he dried himself off and put on a sleeping dress, before heading to the common area. In there, he found his family were already curled up together inside the nest bed.

Each one of them had their own cabin aboard the  _ Marmora _ , if they wished to sleep in privacy. But sometimes, it was nice to sleep together after a long difficult day in space. The nest bed was large enough for the six of them, equipped with the softest blankets and pillows (and sometimes, snacks). 

Antok had his mask off, revealing jagged scars across his face and a row of sharp teeth poking out his lipless mouth. He had Slav wrapped himself around his neck like a scarf— a Slav scarf, or as Keith always joked, a Slarf. The three of them were watching some cheesy Olkarian drama, though Kolivan’s attention was mostly on the datapad in their hand. 

Wedging himself between Kolivan and Antok, Keith wriggled until he found the perfect position on the plush surface. Kolivan moved to rest their hand on the top of Keith’s head, but immediately pulled back when it touched his damp hair.

“Ugh, next time dry your mane thoroughly before getting into the nest”, they grumbled.

“Mmmm, next time”, Keith agreed, already feeling warm and comfortable surrounded by his family. Closing his eyes, he let himself be lulled by the bond he shared with Kolivan, Antok, and even Slav. 

It didn’t take him long until he was asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When Keith woke up, the first thing he realized was Thace and Ulaz’s presence, warm and soothing through the bond. He cracked his eyes open slightly and there they were, settled down on the nest bed by his feet and deep in sleep. Thace had his head resting on Antok’s thighs while Ulaz snuggled up next to him.

 

A weight settled around his stomach made Keith realize that Kolivan had been hugging him in their sleep. That, combined with Antok’s tail firmly wrapped around his leg and Slav burrowing under the pillows above his head, made Keith completely trapped and unable to get up, even if he wanted to.

 

Not that he minded that.

 

Stretching out slightly, he went back to nuzzling Kolivan, not at all surprised when he felt the deep purr rumbling in their chest. It felt nice not having to worry about a breached hull or radiation leaking from the power room and just… relax.

 

Eventually, Keith felt movements behind him, accompanied by loud purring and the sound of kneading. Antok was waking up, which caused Thace to stir with a miffed chuff and Ulaz with a confused chirp.

 

Kolivan woke up last, slowly rising from the nest bed. Finally released from his prison, Keith rose too, stepping over Slav's body, and quickly fled to empty his bladder. When he returned, Keith paused to laugh on the doorway at the state of his family waking up.

 

Kolivan's hair was an unbraided, tangled mess. They were in the middle of grooming their hair, or at least fruitlessly attempting to. Ulaz was yawning. Antok was in the middle of a full-body stretch. Thace had his face turned to Keith, squinting hard, which made him realize that the older Galra probably still had his corrective implant off.

 

"Is it morning already?" Slav asked, poking his head from where he was burrowing between the pillows. The Bytor rubbed his eye and yawned.

 

"Dunno", Thace grumbled out, scratching his furred belly. "Hungry though…”

 

"I'll start breakfast", Antok said, letting Slav to clamber up his back and perch on the top of his head as usual, before fully rising from the nest bed.

 

"Foooood…” Ulaz hummed. He and Thace too rose from the bed, then followed at Antok’s tail to the dining area.

 

Keith noticed Kolivan getting increasingly frustrated about the knots in their hair, so he approached them even though his stomach urged him to follow Antok.

 

"Here, lemme help", he offered, settling back to the nest bed. Kolivan growled lowly, but ultimately let Keith work to fix their hair.

 

Keith thought the whole process would be faster if he had a hairbrush or something, but he didn't have any on him, so his claws would have to suffice. Slowly, he run his fingers through Kolivan's hair, from the top of their head and down to its neatly trimmed ends. He repeated the process, only pausing to gently untangle the knots.

 

Kolivan was purring, clearly enjoying being groomed. It was pretty rare to see his dad this relaxed. So for once Keith kept his mouth shut instead of teasing them, like the mature adult that he was. Once he was done, he smoothed out Kolivan's hair, before neatly braiding it.

 

"There, it's done", he said, using Kolivan's shoulders as leverage to stand up. Kolivan's ears twitched, but he stood and gave Keith's hair a quick ruffle.

 

"Decent job", they said. "Let's join the others before Thace eats all the food."

 

For once, Keith obeyed without rolling his eyes.

 

—

 

Food was always a messy affair on the _Marmora_. With one full-blooded Galra, one half Human-Galra, one half Tersi-Galra, one three-quarter Lorian-Galra, one Bytor, and… whatever Antok was, each one of them had different dietary requirements.

 

Antok and Ulaz were responsible for kitchen duty, whenever they didn’t have other things to attend to. Ulaz was more knowledgeable about the science of cooking, but everyone on board unanimously agreed that Antok was way better at cooking— especially since Ulaz' cooking tend to get… experimental.

 

Today's menu was grilled Hrakul meat dripped with bean sauce and multicolored beans. Slav didn't eat meat, so he was doing his usual eating ritual where he separated the beans by color, putting them in a neat circle, then eating them one by one counter-clockwise. Keith didn't entirely understand the purpose to this ritual, but it seemed to calm Slav's anxiety.

 

Meanwhile, Thace was gobbling up the food like a starving Yugra up until Kolivan smacked the back of his head, causing him to choke. He slowed down his eating after that, glaring at Kolivan the whole time. Kolivan didn’t notice him though, as they were too busy piling more and more beans into Keith's plate.

 

“Dad, please”, Keith finally said after the fifth time Kolivan was doing this.

 

“You need to eat more if you want to grow strong”, Kolivan tutted.

 

“I don't even have growth spurts anymore!” Keith threw his hands up.

 

“You wouldn’t know that”, Ulaz chimed in. “Half Human-Galra are exceptionally rare and the cases are somewhat diverse. You could have another growth spurt.”

 

Keith wanted to argue that Acxa was older than him and also a half Human-Galra; and she didn’t have her late growth spurt either! But he knew it was futile.

 

“Did you know that in another reality, you look fully Human and one head shorter than you are in this reality?” Slav added as well.

 

“Fine! I’ll eat the beans!” Keith groaned, aggressively shoveling those offending beans into his mouth while keeping eye contact with Kolivan. They beamed proudly at him, which made Keith feel slightly patronized. Thankfully, Kolivan didn't dump more beans or meat into his plate after that and the conversation moved to different topic.

 

“Did you find anything about our employer?” Kolivan asked, turning away to face Ulaz and Thace.

 

Keith paused his eating and the others did the same. Thace put his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin before answering.

 

“Can’t find anything about her”, he shrugged. “Except that she owns a Balmeran refinery near the Naia System.”

 

Keith blinked. He didn’t know if there was a petrified Balmera remains in that area. Curious, he pulled out his datapad and opened up his Imperial Star Chart for the Naia System.

 

And there it was, a tiny green dot blinking among the other multicolored dots. He pulled out the information about it and— yep, a Balmera refinery. Yet, the information about it was so little, not enough to cover five pages when Keith scrolled down. Balmera refineries were usually large, since they were planet-size industries. For this refinery to have such little information… it was suspicious.

 

He looked up to Kolivan, who was watching him with confused interest in their face.

 

“Can you check when the information about this refinery was inputted?” he asked Kolivan, who blinked. There were a lot of star chart systems out there, but the most common ones (and the most accurate) were the one collected by the Imperial Spacefaring Bureau and the Great Veloxian Archive.

 

Kolivan set their mug down on the table, before taking the datapad from Keith’s hand. Pulling out a holographic keypad, they began to type away, face serious. Red warnings flashed on the screen, causing Kolivan to pull back slightly.

 

“Oh, is that how it is…” they growled under their breath, before resuming to type furiously.

 

Something had to have worked, because a blue holographic screen then opened up, showing Imperial Spacefaring Bureau logo and several tiny tabs.

 

“That’s our captain”, Thace chuckled, resting his chin on his hand as he watched Kolivan work. “Hacking into the Imperial Database for breakfast.”

 

Kolivan visibly preened as they pulled one of those tabs and enlarged it.

 

“This, right here”, Kolivan pointed, pushing the screen to the center of the table so the rest of the crew could read it. “In here, it was said that the Naia Refinery was built two hundred years ago. However, the actual data was inputted only three months ago, but it was not done by someone from the Empire.”

 

Keith didn’t know how Kolivan could conclude that the data about the Naia Refinery was inputted three months ago, since the text on the screen clearly read that it was inputted two hundred years ago. But then again, Kolivan was way better at data mining than him, so he was going to trust their discovery.

 

“Wait-- do you mean...?” Thace's eyes widened.

 

Kolivan nodded. “Someone hacked into the Imperial Database to put this refinery here.”

 

The room was quiet for a moment, before Antok opened his mouth. "So, the refinery is fake."

 

“The guy I talked to knows someone who's working in that refinery”, Thace shook his head. “And I dunno… our mysterious employer seems pretty well-funded. It makes sense if she owns a Balmeran refinery. That kind of thing brings money like crazy.”

 

“But that's impossible!” Keith argued. “That means somehow new Balmera remains just— literally popped out of nowhere!”

 

“Well…” Kolivan finally said. “We cannot know for sure how or why did she do it. All we know is that she wants us to retrieve something for her.”

 

“A shuttle”, Antok rubbed his chin, his tail flicking in annoyance. “She didn’t give us the spec for the shuttle yet, did she?”

 

“No, not yet”, Kolivan shook their head. “Today, we’re supposed to meet to talk more about the mission. Oh, and meet the Human she hired.”

 

There was also that, Keith mused.

 

Well, at least today would be interesting.

 

—

 

Keith followed Kolivan and Antok back to the planet’s surface again, though this time they didn't go to the Croaking Tavern. Apparently, Allura was renting a suite where she and her companion would stay until they were ready to launch.

 

Sitting on the prestigious area in Sector GN-5 that overlooked the whole valley, it was the oldest and most expensive one could afford: the Glimmering Kilxara. Keith stepped off the transport that took them there, looking up in awe at the post-Colonial Era construction.

 

Spires made out of glass reflected the green from the rainforest and the Plixora sky. Multicolored vines crawled on their metallic structure, giving off strange aroma when Keith and his family entered into the hotel.

 

Allura was waiting for them on the lobby. She was wearing a pink robe with sparkling gemstones along the neckline. Similar gemstones were also hanging from her long hair; they made jingling noises whenever she moved. With her looking like a walking star-projector, Keith almost didn't notice Coran standing behind, dressed more modestly in a plain robe.

 

While Kolivan went to greet her, Keith hung back, eyeing Antok. Already, he felt severely under-dressed with his raincoat over simple thermal suit. Antok was dressed similarly, though additionally he wore a mask to hide his face. He gave Keith a subtle shrug.

 

“There are a few things we need to discuss”, Kolivan said, not wasting any time to get straight to business.

 

Allura smiled. “Of course. Shall we go up to my room?”

 

Kolivan nodded. Immediately, Antok took their right, so Keith followed his lead and took their left. He knew he had to protect the captain of their ship from any possible harm, though Keith didn't doubt that Kolivan could protect themselves.

 

If Allura found their formation odd, she didn't say anything. She led them to the elevator that would be taking them to her suite, Coran flanking behind her in silence. They didn't speak during the elevator ride.

 

Keith used the silence to observe her.

 

She was young— Keith didn't know why he hadn't noticed this before. Perhaps it was her mannerisms that made her look way older than she actually was. Perhaps it was the way she dressed or acted. But she couldn't be that much older than him and it was… weird.

 

Someone so young shouldn't be owning a Balmera Refinery— that was a job for retired admirals with centuries of experience under their belt.

 

Coran was suspicious too, Keith decided. He was older, probably around Thace or Antok’s age. And he was just so… plain. His mane was dull reddish-purple, long enough to be tied into a ponytail, and his head crest was a single ridge across his head. His ears were pointed, like Ulaz’, and he didn't have any marking to distinguish his ancestry.

 

When Coran turned to him, Keith flinched for a moment before steeling himself. He was a crew member of the esteemed exploration vessel, _Marmora_. He wouldn’t let some plain, old man to intimidate him.

 

But Coran gave him a wink and a mischievous smile, which only confused Keith further.

 

Before he could ponder about it further, the elevator door opened and Allura showed them into an expensive suite that Keith had only ever seen in cheesy Sargonian movies.

 

The first thing that Keith noticed was that there were plants everywhere. Soft moss sprawled under his feet, covering every part of the floor surface. The furniture looked like it was grown from vines, the chairs shaped like a cradle with soft looking petals covering the cushion. The glass panels filtered the natural sunlight into warm orange hue.

 

Kolivan sat on one of the chairs. As usual, Antok took their right and Keith took their left. Allura took the chair across them that looked like blossoming flower, its petals velvety and a brilliant shade of yellow. Coran didn't sit down, but chose to stand behind her, hands behind his back.

 

Sweeping her hand over the table, she pulled out a bright blue screen. In it, an image of a strange white shuttle was displayed. The shape of it reminded Keith of an ancient Altean shuttle from Pre-Colonial Era, but from the specs displayed on the screen, this shuttle seemed to be way bigger.

 

“This is the shuttle I want you to retrieve”, Allura explained. “It went off the radar several years ago. All attempts to retrieve it had been fruitless.”

 

“What is it transporting?” Keith asked, curious. He deflated immediately when he realized that Kolivan was supposed to be the one asking the questions.

 

There were so many possibilities about how a transport ship could go missing. Accidents were common occurrence in space, natural or not. And if the ship was carrying something really expensive, like a cargo hold full of refined Balmera crystals, pirates could also be a factor.

 

Not to mention that the space where it had gone missing was so close to the Outer Rim. Who knew, maybe some kind of cosmic abomination had gotten to it? Keith quietly shuddered at the thought.

 

Allura didn't seem to mind his question, though, and gave him a polite smile. “It carried a few cryo-passengers along with some pieces of technology”, she replied. “Although I worry about the safety of the passengers more.”

 

Her eyes were filled with sadness— and in that moment Keith realized that the passengers were probably her family, or at least someone really important to her. That would explain why she was offering such a high reward for a mission as simple as retrieving a shuttle.

 

Still, that didn't explain how she could make a Balmera refinery out of nothingness.

 

“What kind of technology was the shuttle is carrying?” Kolivan asked. “Mining equipment?”

 

“Just a few mechanized vessels”, she shook her head. “Their design is fairly… uncommon, should I say.”

 

“Could be pirates”, Antok mused out loud. “Or opposing refinery managers.”

 

Allura looked increasingly worried, her ears drooping.

 

“It’s possible, but we cannot know for sure”, Kolivan said quietly. Keith turned to his dad, eyes wide. Did Kolivan just… try to reassure her?

 

She gave them a shaky smile, ears perking up slightly in hope, and Keith swore there was something like the barest hint of a smile on Kolivan’s lips. Incredulous, Keith turned to eye Antok.

 

But Antok was busy examining the blueprint image on the screen, rubbing his chin as his tail swayed— he was thinking about something, Keith could tell. Before he could ask what was on Antok’s mind, the older Galra beat him to it. “How do you plan to tow the shuttle back to your refinery?”

 

Keith looked up from the screen only to find confusion on Allura and Coran’s face, then something like realization.

 

“You did a background check on me, didn’t you?” she sounded pleased with herself.

 

Eyeing Kolivan and Antok, somehow Keith got a feeling that they were being tested and passed it.

 

Kolivan tilted their head slightly, before answering, “Only as a safety precaution”

 

“That is understandable”, Allura nodded. “About your question, I was actually thinking to pilot it back home.”

 

“Have you considered what to do if the shuttle is unable to function?” Kolivan asked. “I know that you’re asking us to retrieve it, but if the shuttle is really that big, I’m not sure if our ship can tow it.”

 

Allura blinked. “How big is your ship again?”

 

“About the size of a clipper”, Kolivan answered, hand held out to Keith’s direction. Keith blinked, before realizing that they were asking for a datapad. Pulling it out of his bag, Keith handed it to his dad, who immediately pulled up the _Marmora’s_ specifications. “It is a repurposed clipper from the Post-Independence Era.”

 

“Only one-third the size of your shuttle, if these specs are correct”, Antok hummed, before turning to Kolivan. “I think it won't be hard for us to tow it. Slav probably can rig up something for it.”

 

Kolivan nodded, then added, “Slav is our engineer.”

 

“I'd love to see this engineer of yours, if you don't mind”, Allura said.

 

“Perhaps today? I can give you a tour to our ship”, Kolivan offered. “We need to see the Human you hired too.”

 

Their employer didn't seem to be offended about them doubting her selection; she simply nodded. “He should arrive shortly— Coran?”

 

The Galra behind her perked up and immediately went to check his communicator. “Ah! He's arrived, Mistress.”

 

“Tell him to go right up, please?”

 

“Yes, Mistress”, Coran replied with the same cheerful attitude, tapping away on his communicator.

 

Allura turned back to them, her smile bright as she clasped her hands under her chin. “Oh, where are my manners! Would you like some refreshment? There’s this drink that local establishment suggested— what is it called, Coran? Nulax?”

 

“That would be correct, Mistress”, Coran replied again. “Nulax is made from fermented local Nula-Nula fruits, or so I’ve told. It has thick texture and slightly sweet-milky taste to it.”

 

“We’ve tried Nulax before”, Kolivan said. “I’d love to have some, but Antok is allergic to Nula-Nula while my son—”

 

“I’d love to have some Nulax too, thank you very much”, Keith quickly cut off his dad. There was no way he was letting Kolivan _not_ letting him have some fun the whole time they were planetside.

 

Kolivan let out a chiding growl, “You’ll be piloting—”

 

“Antok can take the helm”, Keith turned and gave his best pleading face— eyes wide and lips slightly wibbling. “Right, Antok?”

 

“Sure”, Antok shrugged easily. _Ha!_ Keith knew there was no way his uncle could resist _that_. He flashed Kolivan a smug grin which they returned with a dejected sigh.

 

Antok tapped his chin several times before turning back to Allura. “Do you have non-nut based, non-alcoholic drink? If not, water will suffice.”

 

Allura looked slightly wide-eyed, but quickly composed herself. “Of course. We have Ciriil tea too. Coran?”

 

“Right away, Mistress”, the Galra saluted her with a flourish, before leaving the room through another door.

 

While Kolivan and Antok went to chat with Allura about mundane things like the beautiful sights on Plixora-6, Keith took his datapad back from his dad and went to check his _Planar_ page. There wasn’t really anything interesting in his timeline right now; a famous group singer was releasing their new album, posts about new constellations, Acxa’s crew just got back from their mission, a new game— ooh, he probably needed to check that once he was back aboard the _Marmora_. Eventually, he settled with putting on his earbuds and listened to some music.

 

Coran returned with drinks just as the door pinged. While Allura’s companion walked off to let the guest (Champion?) in, Keith took off his earbuds and reached for his tall glass, when a tall Human stepped into the room.

 

He almost choked on his drink at the sight. Almost.

 

The Human wasn’t as tall or as bulky as a Galra, Keith decided, but he was just as finely shaped. Thick sculpted muscles bulged out of his dark sleeveless thermal and Keith idly wondered how it felt to rest his head on those pectorals. He walked with a certain confidence in his steps.

 

If this was really the Champion, Keith would’ve believed it in a heartbeat. Keith downed his drink in long gulp, feeling warm all of a sudden, before returning his attention back to the Human.

 

His right arm was bionic, white and gleaming in the sunlight. His left arm was inked with intricate pattern, swirling lines and sharp geometries that made no sense at the first glance that Keith wished to get lost in for _hours_. A scar ran across his nose, connecting his bright, slanted eyes.

 

“Ah, Champion. How was your travel?” Allura greeted the Champion warmly, snapping Keith instantly out of his musing. Kolivan and Antok were already standing up to greet the Human; Keith followed suit.

 

“It was alright, thank you for the pick-up”, the Champion said, his voice nothing but polite. “And please call me Shiro. These are the spacefarers?”

 

The Champion— Shiro —turned to face the _Marmora_ crew, extending one hand to Keith’s direction. Keith blinked, confused. What was he supposed to do with the Champion— Shiro’s hand? This was the _first_ time ever a Human had offered him their hand. Usually, they would deliver a rough slap to his back or a condescending pat to his head.

 

Thankfully, Kolivan stepped over and grabbed the Ch—Shiro’s hand by the elbow, seemingly used to the gesture already. A Human’s way of greeting, perhaps? Keith tucked the information at the back of his head.

 

“Captain Kolivan. This is my second-in-command, Antok”, Kolivan said, placing a heavy hand to Keith’s shoulder and jarring him out of his musings. “And this is Keith, my _son_.”

 

There was an unmistakable growl accompanying that last word that made Keith frown slightly, but no one seemed to notice it. Shiro didn't seem to notice it either and he turned to talk to Allura, leaving Keith to vaguely wonder if he had imagined Kolivan's hostility earlier.

 

As Shiro, Allura, and Kolivan hashed out the details of their arrangement, Keith ended up gravitating towards Antok, who seemed to notice his frayed nerves. In that instant, Keith felt warmth unfurling through the bond— his familial bond with Antok. It was comforting and Keith accepted it gratefully.

 

Coran brought them more drinks and _dilla_ — some kind of cookies with sweet filling. They were Keith’s favorite, but he was starting to get hungry and the sweet treats wouldn’t fill him up as good as a large slab of juicy meat. The discussion seemed to keep going on and on without any sign for it to end, though, and Keith knew he couldn’t leave until his dad was done.

 

Eventually, it was Antok who noticed his discomfort, though Keith was almost sure that Antok was   _dying_ just as much for the meeting to end as Keith himself, if the way his tail twitching irritably was any indication. He almost cried in gratitude when his uncle leaned over and whispered something in Kolivan’s ear, even more so when they nodded.

 

“I feel like we could use some break”, Kolivan said to Allura and Shiro.

 

“Oh, you're right!” Allura clapped her hand, turning to her companion. “Coran, why don’t you call the hotel’s restaurant to prepare a table for all of us—”

 

Kolivan rubbed the back of their head, brows drawn. In that moment, Keith realized what they were going to say. “Actually, we were going to meet with the rest of my crew at—”

 

“We’d love to join!” Keith’s ears perked up as he turned to face his dad. “I’m very sure that Thace, Ulaz, and Slav won’t mind eating at this hotel’s fancy restaurant. Right, Dad?”

 

“Oh, that was—” Kolivan frowned.

 

“Your son is right! Why don’t we all eat together with the rest of your crew?” Allura brightened up visibly. “After all, we’re going to work together. Might as well we know each other better, right?”

 

Kolivan looked torn, but Keith could see the moment resignation settled upon their shoulders. They sighed. “Alright, I’ll call them.”

 

Keith held back the urge to tackle his dad to the floor.

 

—

 

Two _varga_ later, Thace, Ulaz, and Slav walked into the restaurant, dressed more nicely than Keith had ever seen them. Slav was even dressed in something that wasn’t grease-stained, for once.

 

After a brief introduction, they all sat down. Keith _totally_ didn’t choose to sit right next to Shiro, nope, that was totally a coincidence— Thace obviously wanted to sit next to Ulaz and Keith didn’t want to sit next to them while they were being sappy and gross. He also didn’t want to sit next to Kolivan who would ruin all the fun by making him eat more.

 

Okay, that might be one of the reasons why.

 

He tried not to look like an overexcited cub, he _really_ did. But it was _hard_ , okay, especially when Shiro gave him a smile so bright it was almost blinding. In the end, he had to turn away so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself, although there was no doubt that his traitorous, _traitorous_ ears were broadcasting all his emotions so clearly.

 

Kolivan always said that his ears would be the death of him.

 

He was so grateful when the food arrived. Thanks to the spaceport, Plixora provided a very large variety of food, among other things. It wasn’t hard to find everything that would suit each one of their dietary requirements.

 

Keith ended up ordering the same food that Shiro ordered, which thankfully contained a lot of meat-stuff in it. It tasted… odd, though Keith couldn’t say that it tasted terrible. It probably would taste better if the meat was not cooked and spiced to hell and back. Not for the first time, Keith was actually grateful to sit next to Antok, since it meant he could steal bits and morsel from his uncle’s plate and his uncle wouldn’t say a thing.

 

“If you’re still hungry, you can order some more”, Allura said from across the table.

 

Ears drooping, Keith pulled his hand from Antok’s plate. From Antok’s other side, Kolivan made clicking noise and passed their own plate, which Antok passed to Keith obligingly. Thankfully, Keith was spared from further embarrassment when Slav turned to Kolivan.

 

“Have you told them yet about the Trials?” he asked.

 

Immediately, all eyes turned to Slav, who wilted under their gaze. Slav hissed as he tried to hide under the table. “Ooh… You haven’t told them yet.”

 

“What Trials?” Shiro asked at Kolivan, eyes squinting at them. “There’s nothing about this in the contract.”

 

“I wasn’t aware about this either”, Allura looked similarly suspicious as Shiro. Meanwhile, Coran had a quiet, calculating look on his face.

 

Kolivan took a long sip from their drink, eyes shut, before they put their cup on the table and turned to both Allura and Shiro.

 

“The Trials of Marmora—” they started. “— was a sacred ritual of Marmoran Galra dated from Pre-Hyperdrive Era back in the old Daibazaal. I put it under the pre-arrangement section on the contract. ”

 

“What do the Trials entail? How do they work?” Shiro asked again.

 

“Why did we never hear about this before?” Allura asked. “There's _nothing_ about the Trials on the contract!”

 

“The Trials is just a name”, Thace replied, waving his hand casually. “Marmora was one of the Galran tribes. It’s actually a welcome ritual when newcomers came to our tribe. The newcomers then had to duel the villagers to prove if they were worthy to stay. ‘Knowledge or Death’, that was the motto.”

 

“A _duel?!_ ” Allura was close to shrieking. “To the _death?!_ ”

 

Keith wanted to smack Thace right there and then.

 

“It’s just a game!” he raised his hands placatingly. “The traditions changed since then. _Nobody_ actually died from the Trials since the Transportation Revolution. Right, Dad?”

 

“It is true”, Kolivan looked indignant. “We, the People of Galra, are passionate, but we are not barbaric. The name was kept because it was a long standing tradition.”

 

Allura looked placated, but Shiro still gave them a suspicious look. _Fair enough_ , Keith mused. Non-Galra usually couldn't understand just how passionate the Galra were.

 

“When these… Trials will be held?” Shiro asked, still looking disturbed.

 

“Right after we’re done dealing with all permits and legalities with the Bureau”, Kolivan answered. “It was supposed to be held on your first step aboard our ship, as tradition dictates.”

 

“So, tomorrow, then”, Allura said. “And then we’ll launch off?”

 

Kolivan nodded. “That is correct.”

 

—

 

During the lunch, Keith drank a little bit too much Nulax, so Kolivan kicked him to go back to the _Marmora_ with Slav, who accepted his dad-duty happily. Keith knew the reason why— being planet-bound, especially somewhere so humid and unpredictable like Plixora-6, always made Slav nervous.

 

Slav was a terrible pilot, though, and the shuttle jostled so badly during the acceleration that Keith almost threw up on the passenger’s seat. Thankfully, his nausea didn’t last long and soon they were aboard the _Marmora_. Slav even helped Keith into his room and tucked him in.

 

It was… sweet. In an embarrassing way.

 

“You know that I’m not a cub anymore, right?” Keith squinted his eyes at Slav, who rolled his eyes and crossed his arms— all four pairs of them.

 

“What, now that you’re not a shrieking vomit-machine, you don’t want your Unc’lav to tuck you in and read you stories about an alternate reality where we all are under the subjugation of the Galra Empire?”

 

Keith wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.

 

“I’m just joking”, Slav chuckled before giving Keith’s bangs a gentle nip with his beak. He skittered across the room, but paused once he reached the door. “Sleep well, Starbug. Don’t throw up on your bed again.”

 

Keith threw his pillow at him, immediately regretting it when everything seemed to lurch sideways. Rubbing his aching temples, he swore he could hear Slav laughing from the hallway.

 

He was beginning to regret his very mature decision to drink the alcoholic beverage earlier.


	3. Chapter 3

Putting on his ceremonial armor was not an easy feat while hungover; Keith found out about this when he fell on his butt trying to put on his knee braces. He didn't even realize that he put one of his vambraces on the wrong way until Ulaz, already in his own ceremonial armor, pulled him into the medbay by the scruff.

 

Across the room, a synthesizer whirred as Ulaz groomed him and fixed his appearance. Once he was satisfied, the older Galra then shoved a glass full of thick blackish liquid that smelled strong enough to wake the dead into Keith’s hands.

 

“Drink”, Ulaz ordered.

 

Keith scrunched his nose and downed it in one long gulp. It tasted just as bad as it smelled, like a stew of something left rotting for weeks. Keith gagged as he swallowed it, wondering if he would be better off without it or not.

 

He had his head on his hand when something cold touched against the bare skin on his temple. Keith looked up and saw Ulaz was holding up a glass of sparkling pink liquid.

 

“This will make the gross taste go away”, Ulaz said. “Don’t tell Kolivan.”

 

With that very vague instruction, the older Galra walked out of the medbay, leaving Keith alone and confused. Why Ulaz didn’t want his dad to find out about the drink? It looked innocuous enough and it smelled sweet— a little flowery, maybe.

 

Taking a first cautious sip, he found out that it tasted like… something fruity. It was cold and refreshing, and it washed out the gross-bitter taste from his tongue. Still not knowing all the fuss about the weird-nice drink, Keith gulped it down and felt something like regret when it was all gone. But he knew that the Trials would be starting soon and if Ulaz told him not to tell Kolivan about the drink, he probably didn’t want Keith to be carrying it around where his dad might find out.

 

He threw both glasses into the garbage recycler and headed to the hangar, where other crewmembers were already waiting in their ceremonial armor— except for Kolivan, who wore a ceremonial robe instead. All of them were already wearing their masks, so Keith hastily put his own on before taking his position between Slav and Antok.

 

Thace was on the controls, helping with the docking procedure. Keith waited with bated breath until the shuttle pod docked and the hangar door finally opened.

 

Allura walked out first. Her armor was white with pink accents. Dark blue cape billowed behind her as she walked, held in place by a bejeweled brooch shaped like a shield. The brooch glowed an odd light blue color and Keith somewhat suspected that it kept her weapon. She wore her hair in an intricate series of braids with fat, purple gemstones woven into the strands.

 

Compared to his companion, as usual, Coran was dressed more modestly. His formal robe somewhat resembled the old Daibazaal fashion with dark grey color and deep reddish purple accents. Keith wondered if the man was yet another rank-purist— as that kind of fashion was oddly popular among them. But then again he was willing to work with a bunch of hybrids, so maybe he wasn’t that bad after all.

 

Besides, there was no way Kolivan would want to get a rank-purist anywhere near their crew.

 

Shiro walked out last, already in his full gear, and Keith’s attention was immediately on him. He wore a black hooded cloak with white geometrical pattern on it and his face was hidden behind a pair of yellow goggles and a dark green shawl. A huge blaster was strapped to his back and another blaster, smaller one, was in its holster on his left thigh. His boots were thick and heavy; they made odd clunking noise against the hangar floor.

 

 _Hover-boots_ , Keith realized, as he stared at them with stars in his eyes.

 

They looked like the latest model too and Keith was part awestruck-part jealous. His dad never allowed him to get anywhere near those boots whenever they were doing some shopping in the space mall, mostly because his dad was afraid that Keith would break his own neck. His uncles even agreed that they wouldn’t allow Slav to make a safer version for him.

 

So yeah, Keith was jealous. But those boots definitely suited Shiro. They made his general appearance look somewhat like a badass space adventurer.

 

He almost missed Kolivan telling them all that they would begin the Trials. Only when both Slav and Antok nudged him at the same time, he realized that he’d been spacing out.

 

“Huh?” he turned his gaze from Slav to Antok, then to his dad.

 

Kolivan let out a sigh. If they were unmasked right now, he could see them frown probably.

 

“I said, we are ready to start the Trials now”, they said patiently, and Keith felt like he was being rightfully scolded. “So if you hurry and get the ship in position, preferably within the day-cycle, that would be great.”

 

Flustering, Keith hurried to the bridge, followed by Thace who gave him a pat to his back. The older Galra took his position at the communication console while Keith took the pilot seat.

 

While Thace was busy getting permission for them to take off, Keith prepared the launching protocols. The ship came to life not long after— Slav had to have turned the engine on. When the orbital base finally released them from the dock, Keith gently took the _Marmora_ to one of Plixora-6’s moons.

 

There was no lunar base whatsoever on this moon. The surface was unusable due to high volcanic activity, but Kolivan said they were already granted permission to use the area by its orbit. As long as they didn’t get too close, the electromagnetic interference from the volcanic activity would not be harmful to the ship.

 

Pulling out coordinates to where Daibazaal’s sun used to be, Keith gently positioned the ship’s prow to that direction. Back in the old Marmoran lore and mythology, Hili —the Marmoran name to the sun— was an omnipotent giantess who threw herself out to the space. She created life and everything else; and was revered as the goddess of life and destruction.

 

Traditionally, the Marmorans would bow to Hili before performing any and all ceremonies, including the Trials of Marmora.

 

Obviously it was just a myth that was already debunked by science long before the Galra achieved hyperdrive, but Kolivan still held to the old traditions. “If it’s not us, who else will preserve our culture?” they had said. And so, Keith became irrationally defensive of his culture-by-adoption.

 

Aiming a straight line to Hili took a certain finesse due to the great distance between them, and truthfully this was only Keith’s _second_ time doing this. One fraction of a degree miss, and they wouldn’t be pointing towards it.

 

When the navigation screen beeped, Keith knew he had succeeded. Feeling pleased with himself, he locked the ship to the moon’s orbit and rose from the pilot seat.

 

“You did it, Keith!” Thace cheered and nudged his shoulder.

 

“That was faster from the last time”, Antok added— and, huh, Keith didn’t realize that his uncle was on the bridge too.

 

He was still grinning under his mask, springs in his steps, when he entered the training deck. Someone, probably Ulaz, had put up holographic banners on two sides of the room. To Zira’s direction was Mark of Hili, the Marmoran flag before it was acquiesced into the Galra Sovereignty Post-Hyperdrive Era; while on its opposite side was the old Daibazaal flag in red-purple.

 

Kolivan arrived with their guests, followed by Slav and Ulaz.

 

Keith beamed at Kolivan. Under his hood, his ears were perking up with pride of his accomplishment. When Kolivan gave his head a quick pat, he thought he was going to ascend to another reality.

 

“That was five _dobosh_ seventeen _ticks_ faster than your first time”, Slav commented, and— wow, that was _really_ an improvement!

 

Keith was still grinning when he got into a line with the rest of the crew, while Kolivan instructed Shiro, Allura, and Coran to stand on the second line. Once satisfied, they instructed them to bow to Daibazaal flag first, then to Marmoran flag second.

 

There were a few things that Keith noticed. Firstly, Shiro bowed stiffly, as if unused to the ritual— but so did Allura and Coran. Keith wondered how long these two Galra had been detached from their own culture, if they were practicing old Daibazaal rituals at _all_.

 

Secondly, the face that Coran made when he bowed to the flag… there was something like distaste there, as if he’d rather not do it. But why? Why wouldn’t he show allegiance to the old Homeworld? In contrast, Allura looked slightly misty eyed, almost nostalgic.

 

Keith really didn’t know what to think about these strange Galra.

 

“Traditionally, all of you are required to go through the Trials one by one. The Trials go in waves and it gets progressively more difficult until you pass the challenge”, Kolivan explained. “We don’t have enough people in our crew to conduct a full Trial like that, so we usually do something like a tag match. You may want to choose one or two of you to fight.”

 

“Count me in!” Allura clasped her hands excitedly— almost too excited, in Keith’s opinion. He turned to Kolivan, but it was hard to see their expression behind their mask. Antok’s tail was swishing in anticipation, though, and Keith thought he was as eager to see what might happen next.

 

“But, but _Mistress_ —” Coran stuttered. He turned to face Allura and waving his arms wildly.

 

“What? It’s just like a game, right? It sounds really interesting”, Allura said. Her eyes were actually twinkling at the prospect of a _fight_.

 

Keith really, _really_ , didn’t know what to think about her.

 

“I’ll go too”, Shiro added. He’d already taken his hood, goggles, and shawl off his face; and he looked just about as excited as Allura. “This is the reason you hired me, right?”

 

Allura gave Shiro’s shoulder a pat that looked too hard that the Human actually stumbled on his feet.

 

“Great! That’s settled then! That will be two-on-two, right?” she turned to Kolivan.

 

“One-on-three, actually”, Kolivan responded calmly. “You two will be doing it on separate Trials.”

 

In that moment, Keith really wished he had a camera— Shiro and Allura’s matching expression was _priceless_.

 

—

 

After that, Kolivan corralled Allura and Coran to the viewing area as Shiro took the Trials first. There were very loud protests echoing in the hallways that could still be heard even as Keith was preparing himself in the other room.

 

“I can’t believe I get stuck with you two instead of getting either Thace or Ulaz”, Antok shook his head.

 

“Because Thace and Ulaz work better as a team, and while Kolivan is not our strongest fighter, they are very fast. Thace and Ulaz are good enough to balance them out”, Slav happily pointed but quickly skittered away when Antok whipped his tail to his direction.

 

“Ugh, I know that. Shut up”, Antok grouched.

 

Keith nudged his uncle’s side. “Hey, at least I got your back.”

 

“That’s what exactly I feared”, Antok shook his head. Before Keith got to reply, the door opened and revealed Shiro.

 

Excitement bubbled in Keith’s stomach. He was going to fight the Champion _for real_.

 

Antok charged first, as usual, while Slav used his grappling hook to find a perfect perching position. Shiro didn’t even have the chance to look where Slav was going before Antok lunged at him head on, blade fully drawn and hit Shiro’s bionic arm with a deafening clang.

 

When Keith stalked around the premise, he noticed that Shiro’s eyes were trained at him. But then Antok knocked the side of the Human’s head. Keith used the chance to charge forward at full speed.

 

That was when Shiro’s bionic arm _glowed_.

 

Keith barely had a chance to dodge when Shiro swung his arm like a sword. It left blue streak of light, slicing through air where Keith’s neck used to be— his aim was precise, Keith noted. Keith retreated and Slav used the moment to shoot the ground in front of Shiro; a warning shot. Shiro looked up momentarily, as if he had forgotten about his third opponent.

 

Antok lunged and Keith followed close, together they launched a consecutive attack. Shiro parried Antok’s strike first— but apparently the blow was too hard on him, even though Antok was already pulling his punches. Keith aimed a kick to his side.

 

A snap and Shiro wheezed up and away, causing Keith to stumble his footing when his kick hit empty air. Looking up, he saw that Shiro apparently had used a grappling hook and landed on one of the beams, right in front of Slav, who yelped in panic.

 

Slav wasn’t very good at close-range combat.

 

In one swift kick, Slav went down with a long scream. Keith barely had time when he heard a whirr— and that was when he and Antok realized almost at the same time that Shiro had a blaster gun, before they scrambled under a barrage of blue stun-bullets.

 

If Shiro thought that being up there would be safe, then he was definitely mistaken. Because whatever genetics that made up Antok somehow granted him an ability to jump insanely high. Keith could hear Shiro’s muffled curses when Antok landed in front of him, grabbing at the Human’s ankle with his tail.

 

Since Keith couldn’t follow his uncle up there, he went to check Slav instead.

 

“Don’t chase after the comet ship…” Slav moaned, cross-eyed.

 

Keith furrowed his brows. “ _What?!_ ”

 

“I said… don’t chase after the comet ship.”

 

Okay.

 

Slav was clearly concussed and probably spouting about alternate realities as usual. Keith waved his hand to where he knew his dad was watching and signed to them to get Slav out. He turned just in time to see Antok falling to the floor with a loud thud, while Shiro landed more gracefully using the hover boots. 

 

Keith draw his blade and charged towards Shiro.

 

Two things were happening at once. One, Antok lunged at Shiro with an animalistic roar—

 

—and two, Shiro zipped away using his grappling hook.

 

Antok was strong and fast, insanely so for someone of his stature. But even so, he couldn’t stop at a moment’s notice. Keith felt like he was being hit by an angry Jkrell when his uncle barrelled straight into him— there would be bruises tomorrow and his breath was knocked right out of his chest.

 

Both of them rolled across the floor, only stopping once they hit the wall.

 

Opening his eyes, still feeling like he was going to hurl right there, he realized that his uncle had shielded him with most of the impact using his bulk. Antok groaned, but otherwise made no attempt to move. Only his tail twitched angrily.

 

Keith freed himself from Antok’s tight grip if only for the sake of his dignity.

 

Shiro approached them, laughing joyfully, almost like he didn’t just beat an experienced fighter and two other people to the ground. He had his blaster gun drawn and his finger on the trigger. Keith knew that it was only stun-bullet, but still getting hit point blank would still be very unpleasant.

 

“Yield?” the Human asked.

 

Keith nodded.

 

Much to his surprise, Shiro offered his hand. Keith took it, but before Shiro could heave him up to his feet, Antok _pulled_. Both of them ended up sprawling on the floor as Antok rolled them over, growling, his tail thumping.

 

Keith laughed and was ready to play, but Shiro tensed up immediately. The Human was not used to Antok’s joyful mood. Oh well…

 

“Quit it, you’re scaring him”, Keith flicked his uncle’s chin.

 

Antok let go of Shiro and turned off his mask, before mercilessly nuzzling right at Keith’s ticklish spot. Instantly, Keith howled and tried to throw his uncle off, but his attempts had been futile. Antok was unmoving as a mountain.

 

“Okay! Okay! I give!” Keith shrieked. His uncle stopped and was immediately on his feet, pulling Keith to perch on his shoulders. The sudden change of height made him slightly nauseous— but well, if he threw up right then, Antok only had himself to blame.

 

Keith watched Antok help Shiro to his feet with ease. Shiro still eyed Antok cautiously, but otherwise made no comment about his disfigured face. Well, if he had a problem with that— Keith growled at the Human, feeling protective.

 

Shiro raised his hands in surrendering gesture. That was acceptable, in Keith’s eyes. At least for now. The three of them then exited the training room and were about to head to the viewing room, when Ulaz stopped them by the elevator.

 

“And where do you think you're going?” he said. Keith turned to Antok, who shrugged. The movement jostled Keith and he gripped tighter to Antok’s hood.

 

It took the combined force between Thace, Ulaz, and Kolivan to shoo the three of them off to the medbay. In there, Slav was already occupying one of the healing pods. Ulaz gestured at Antok to let Keith down, before settling down on the chair.

 

“I'm fine! Antok shielded me!” Keith protested when Ulaz, Thace, and Kolivan fussed over him. Immediately, the three older Galra pinned their glare at Antok, who cowered under the intensity of their glare despite his massive bulk.

 

Antok shot Keith a betrayed look as Kolivan shoved him into the healing pods.

 

Ulaz deemed that Keith and Shiro weren't too injured, but his uncle still made them stay on the beds while the others were off to the training deck. As a form of compromise, Kolivan had allowed Keith to watch the Trials through the holoscreen.

 

If Shiro fought with efficiency that was downright scary, Allura fought with grace that could only from years and years of training. Her weapon of choice was a whip sword and she was _deadly_ with it.

 

Kolivan’s fighting style was more jump-and-pounce their enemies. Against Allura’s whip sword, their usual tactic became nearly obsolete. Keith winced in sympathy when she grappled Kolivan mid-jump and threw them away.

 

Ulaz and Thace were both experienced fighters— having served in the Imperial Fleet prior to joining the Marmora crew. They moved in sync to force Allura into the corner. With Ulaz distracting her attention, Thace charged forward and swung his blade with deadly accuracy. She almost missed Thace but managed to dodge within the last par-tick before Thace could hit her.

 

But she didn't see Kolivan, who was already back on their feet, and they manage to slash her on the shoulder — nothing too bad, and it didn’t look like she was bleeding. Her face twisted into a furious snarl and engaged Kolivan in one-on-one fight.

 

Once Kolivan got used to Allura’s fighting style, both of them were evenly matched in skills, something that Keith didn’t know was even possible. They moved as if they were dancing, two blurry figures on the training floor. Sparks flew from where Kolivan’s blade hit Allura’s whip sword.

 

However, soon, it was painfully clear that Allura had superior strength. Keith couldn’t see Kolivan's expression due to the mask, but he could see the way Kolivan staggered from the sheer force of Allura’s blows more than once. Allura seemed to notice this too and roared— actually _roared_ —as she put all her strength into her blow.

 

And that was when Keith knew she was going to lose. Kolivan easily dodged her blow, which caused her to stumble. Immediately, from both sides, Thace and Ulaz had her pinned down to the floor, their blades against the sides of her neck.

 

With that, the Trials was over. Keith quietly cheered.

 

—

 

Lunch was loud after the Trials.

 

Thace and Ulaz gleefully reminded Antok about his defeat and Keith was almost certain that if Antok wasn’t currently handling the lunch duty, he would remind both of them about the fact that he could sit on top of them and there would be nothing they could do about it…

 

In the end, Antok wrapped his tail around a ladle and used it to whack them upside their head when they were not looking. At their almost-identical expression of indignation, Keith stifled his laughter behind his glass.

 

Kolivan was sitting next to Allura, who was getting fussed by Coran. They chatted animatedly— or as animatedly as Kolivan could —about various fighting techniques and Keith felt only a slight resignation about the fact that his dad probably would implement said techniques during morning practice.

 

Meanwhile, Shiro watched wide-eyed at the chaos unfolding before his eyes.

 

“You’ll get used to it”, Keith told him as he poured more drink into Shiro's cup.

 

Shiro shrugged. “Actually… It’s kinda nice? It reminds me about my old crew. One big family from Cuba, very noisy bunch.”

 

“I’ve never heard about that planet before”, Keith scrunched his face.

 

“Oh!” Shiro blinked. “It's a... It used to be a country on Earth? Back before we became the Earth Union, anyway.”

 

Keith hummed. He knew next to nothing about that part of his heritage.

 

“I’ve never been on Earth”, he admitted. At Shiro's confusion, he clarified. “I’m half-Human. I’m surprised Kolivan didn't tell you already. They told Allura within the first minute of our meeting.”

 

Keith turned to watch his family again. Somehow, Thace managed to get ahold of a meat fork and was engaged in mock-swordfight with Antok’s tail, while Slav held Ulaz in a chokehold. Coran already stopped fussing over his mistress and was staring at the rowdy Galra all around him uncertainly.

 

Kolivan and Allura still hadn't stopped talking.

 

“Why did you resign?” Keith asked.

 

“Hmm?” Shiro turned to face him, half-smile curving on his lips.

 

“You said your ‘old’ crew”, Keith pointed. “Why did you resign?”

 

Maybe he was being nosy. Maybe he was going to overstep something that would make Shiro feel uncomfortable. Shiro's old crew could be dead or missing— that was the danger of spacefaring. Anything could happen and the next thing you knew, you lost someone close to you.

 

“Eh, it’s a one-time thing”, Shiro shrugged. Keith raised his eyebrows. “Your dad didn’t tell you? I only accept one-time contracts, no extensions, no repeats whatsoever.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Keith would be lying if he wasn’t disappointed.

 

Did this mean Shiro never stayed permanently with a crew for a long period of time, only to live from crew to crew, ship to ship. The _Marmora_ , his crew, was a family to Keith. He would do _anything_ to protect his family. Did Shiro have a family? Did he even have a home?

 

It sounded sad.

 

—

 

After that, Kolivan officially called for a formal debrief in the Star Room. They explained the details about the mission as well as plotting the course.

 

The Arusia System was too far for a single hyperjump, so they needed to take several jumps with at least twenty-hours of rest in between to let the hyperdrive generator rest and recharge.

 

“We’re going to need at least twenty jumps. Fifteen, if we're lucky”, Slav rubbed his chin as he concentrated on the star map. “But I don’t know if I have enough time to make a tow while doing routine maintenance. Maybe you should hire additional engineers next, _Captain_.”

 

He threw a glare at Kolivan, who did a Galran equivalent of an eyeroll.

 

“There’s no need for that!” Coran chirped. “I can assist you with engineering things. For the duration of this mission, at least!”

 

Slav immediately brightened and the two soon were engaged in a furious chat about designing the tow. Kolivan let out a noise between a grumble and a sigh. Keith rolled his eyes and focused back on the star map.

 

“Uhh... Dad? According to this, we're going to jump into the Dragonhome Nebula”, he pointed out, frowning.

 

“We are?” Kolivan blinked and half-glared at the star map. “Huh. Oh, well… it’s the shortest route we currently have. I already submitted our course to the Bureau, so it’s probably too late to change now.”

 

Keith stared at his dad in disbelief. He had heard odd stuff about the Dragonhome Nebula— about cosmic horrors straight out of the Outer Rim making appearances there, even though the place was nowhere near the Outer Rim. Most who ventured there did not live to tell the tale— those who did were too traumatized to do so.

 

Thace grinned and opened his mouth, but Keith could immediately tell what his uncle was going to say.

 

“If you say a word, I’ll put green hair dye in your shampoo”, he threatened.

 

Thace deflated and snapped his mouth shut.

 

The rest of the debrief went without further threats or incident.

 

—

 

Five days into the mission, Keith had already fallen back into the rhythm. A strict schedule was set in place so they all wouldn’t miss their own biological necessities, such as sleeping and eating, since it was hard to distinguish between day and night in space.

 

It wasn’t hard to adjust to the presence of three additional crewmembers. As it turned out, Coran was extremely skilled in… well, almost _everything_ and would happily help whenever there was a shortage of hand. He and Slav had became fast buddies, and Slav had been using him as his new perch, much to Antok’s irritation.

 

Shiro wasn’t as skilled, but he was extremely observant. He impressed Slav and Kolivan when he recited technical stuff they were talking the day before. When they asked if he had some engineering background, he merely shrugged and said, “Well, I listened to you guys.”

 

He was also a better cook than Ulaz, something that the entire _Marmora_ crew was infinitely grateful about.

 

Out of the trio, Allura was maybe the least useful, but she did her share of work. She was extremely strong, physically, and would happily lift heavy things down in Slav’s workshop. She was also a fast learner and would spend hours following different crewmembers to learn about what they did each day— although lately Keith saw her spending more and more time with Kolivan.

 

Weird.

 

So far, they already had three successful hyperjumps. Currently, they were still at the heart of the Axocarian Empire, but Kolivan predicted that after the tenth jump, they would see less and less advanced civilizations.

 

Their next stop would be somewhere near the Great Veloxian Archive, where data from all Veloxian archives was stored. Kolivan wanted to find out more about the Outer Rim and they thought the Great Archive would have something useful for their travel.

 

Currently, they were waiting for Ulaz, who was doing quick grocery trip to the spaceport with Thace and Antok. They would need new vaccines to prepare for whatever was out there, and Ulaz had hoped that he could find whatever they needed there.

 

It had been a pretty slow day for Keith. Slav and Coran were down in the engineering, while Kolivan and Allura were probably somewhere. His dad had been spending an awful lot of time with her and Keith was not that naive, _okay_.

 

So what if his dad was banging the hot half-Galra lady that was also their client. It wasn’t like they would spend happily ever after— not that he didn’t think Kolivan deserved to be happy, heck no. His dad deserved good things in their life every now and then. And it wasn't like Kolivan would leave the crew for her.

 

Ugh, all this thinking wasn’t helping _at all_. Keith grumbled and blew his bangs.

 

With nothing else to do, Keith was _bored_ out of his mind. He’d checked his _Planar_ page, chatted with Acxa and Ezor, played games, marathoned some movies until his eyes hurt, and synthesized himself some very unhealthy snacks that would make his dad burst a vein.

 

He _could_ head down to the simulator, but he just couldn't bring himself to move from his current position.

 

Which was lying upside down on the couch, his head on the floor, and his legs up in the air.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Surprised, Keith yelped and fell forward-- depending on how you described _forward_. He fell from the couch and onto the floor, his butt up in the air. In one swift move, he was quickly up to his feet, his hand slicking his hair back.

 

“Nothing! _Absolutely_ nothing”, he answered.

 

Shiro hid his smile behind his hand and Keith felt his own face heating up from embarrassment. Right. He forgot that Shiro was also suffering from the same idleness, unless he'd found something productive to fill his time with.

 

But he was here, which meant that he currently had nothing more important to do.

 

“So, everyone’s gone for an awfully long time, huh?” Shiro asked. There was still a glint of amusement in his eyes. “What did you usually do in your free time?”

 

“Oh, uh… just the usual. Watching movies, playing games”, Keith shrugged. “Taking sims, sometimes.”

 

“Simulations?” Shiro perked up. “Why do you need to take simulations?”

 

Keith held himself from rolling his eyes. “Well, I just got my pilot license recently, so I have to take simulations to add to my flight hours.”

 

Shiro hummed. “Wait, how old are you?”

 

 _Here it goes_ . “Thirty-ish”, Keith replied, almost with a snarl. He hated talking about his age because everyone would end up commenting about how young he was, _practically still a cub_.

 

“ _What?!_ ” Shiro looked surprised. “You're older than me!”

 

Wait, what?

 

“Oh, wow. I can't believe this. I thought you're like… eighteen or nineteen”, Shiro chuckled. “I guess you're more Galra than Human, huh?”

 

It took Keith five full _ticks_ to remember that Human's lifespan was way shorter than Galra. So it only made sense that Shiro was younger than him, even though Keith _looked_ younger.

 

“Huh… that’s new”, Keith admitted, scratching the back of his head. “People usually said I’m so young. Galra don’t reach maturity until they’re at least one century old.”

 

Shiro shrugged. “Well, anyway, you said this ship has a simulator?”

 

Keith nodded, half glad about the topic change, half uncertain.

 

“Show me? It’s been awhile since I’m allowed to pilot something.”

 

Keith blinked. “Wait, you have a license?”

 

Again, Shiro shrugged. “I used to pilot. But then…” he stopped, face downcast as he touched his bionic arm. Suddenly, Keith felt something inside him ache.

 

Spaceship pilots were required to do routine checks and reports to keep their license. If Shiro was being held captive for a long time, he wouldn’t be able to do that and his license would be revoked. It was an unfair system, but it wasn’t like the Bureau _cared_.

 

“I can take you there”, Keith offered. “On one condition—”

 

—

 

The simulator’s panel beeped under his touch and Keith stepped back when it came to life.

 

Shiro was standing behind him, staring curiously at it. The simulator was a newer model and it had been put in an unused room at the training deck when Keith started his flight training, but everyone was able to use it with Kolivan’s permission.

 

Keith logged on into the simulation, before stepping away, allowing Shiro to get into the pilot’s chair.

 

“You can read Galran, right?” Keith asked. He probably should've asked it the first thing. “I can change the language setting if you want, but I don't know what written language you're using.”

 

“Nah, it’s fine”, Shiro grinned as he accustomed himself with the controls. “I can’t believe you talked me into putting more hours into your log.”

 

“A small price.” Keith grinned cheekily. “Alright, you can pick whatever setting you want. I'm gonna step off and watch from the outside, okay?”

 

Shiro gave him a thumbs up— a Human gesture for affirmation.

 

Keith stepped off the simulator and grabbed a chair. There was a screen at the back of it, which allowed instructors to watch the simulation. Usually, Antok or Kolivan would watch him fly, but sometimes they were too busy with their own duties.

 

When the simulation started, Keith could see that Shiro was actually a pretty good pilot, if a bit rusty. His technique was flawless, but his execution was a little bit slow. It didn’t take long, though, until he got used to the controls and his reflexes was getting better. Still, he seemed to struggle to do a hairpin turn and eventually, he crashed into an asteroid after trying to dodge a Weblum’s beam.

 

The simulation ended and showed Shiro’s score, which put him on the sixth rank.

 

“That was pretty good”, Keith commented.

 

“Really?” Shiro laughed. “I feel like I’m pretty rusty.”

 

“You said it’s been awhile, right?” Keith asked. “I think you’re going to have better luck with cruiser-class. It matches your reflexes.”

 

Shiro’s eyes widened. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Well… I did used to pilot a cruiser-class vessel.”

 

Oh.

 

“Can’t you get your license again?” Keith asked, almost hesitantly. It felt like such a waste of talent, but he didn’t want to poke a nerve when the captivity was clearly still a sore subject for Shiro.

 

Shiro merely laughed, but it sounded wrong, almost hollow— and Keith wanted nothing but to give him a hug. His grey eyes dulled; they reminded Keith of the overcast on Plixora-6.

 

“I dunno. It’s kinda hard to meet the required flight hours when I'm living from crew to crew”, Shiro said, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

 

“You don’t have to, you know”, Keith said hesitantly. “Live from crew to crew. I’m sure Kolivan won’t mind to have you on the crew. You know, _permanently_.”

 

Shiro’s face steeled, and before Keith could say anything else, he left the simulation room. Keith cursed at himself, feeling like a jerk.

 

—

 

Keith was pretty sure Shiro was avoiding him.

 

He wasn’t there for dinner, opting to eat down in the engineering. Claiming something about wanting to make sure that Slav and Coran wouldn’t work themselves to death.

 

Antok, Thace, and Ulaz were still on the space port, so it was up to Keith to prepare for dinner. He was in the middle of synthesizing himself some sweetcakes when Kolivan and Allura walked in. Kolivan immediately made a face at the content in Keith’s plate.

 

Keith held eye contact with his dad before taking a daring bite from his sweetcake.

 

Kolivan let out a growl that was almost feral. In the end, they confiscated his sweetcakes before shoving a huge bowl of fish broth at Keith’s direction. Their glare allowed for no argument, so Keith decided to draw out his eating as slowly as possible. If his dad wanted to watch him eat, then fine. His dad would be here _forever_ , if they had to.

 

When Antok ducked into the dining area, Keith was only halfway done. His broth was cold and he was pretty sure the fish had disintegrated into it, but his resolve was still strong. Antok took a single look from Keith to Kolivan, who was getting increasingly impatient, before ducking back out.

 

Wise man.

 

But eventually, he was done and his dad all but fled the room. Keith rolled his eyes, before taking his sweetcakes back to be reheated. In no time, they were warm and puffy once again, and Keith took the plateful back to his own room.

 

He chatted with Ezor while he munched them happily. She was interrogating him about the Champion, if he was truly like the rumors said. Keith played dumb the whole time; partially to respect Shiro’s privacy, but mostly to tease the half-Galra girl.

 

Acxa, Narti, Zethrid, and Ezor were a group of half-Galra who were offering combative service to spacefarers. They were ruthless fighters, and— as one of the Humans their crew had once hired said —capable of kicking ass. Though Keith was almost sure Lance only said that because Zethrid once pinned him down to the floor, that kinky bastard.

 

They met on a forum of half-Galra and became friends. Keith chatted with Acxa, mostly due to their shared biology as the only half Human-Galra in this side of galaxy and everything that entailed, though he also chatted with the others almost on daily basis.

 

He chatted with them until he fell asleep.

 

He dreamed about a comet, bright blue streak soaring above a red planet. But when he woke up, he couldn’t remember about it all.


	4. Chapter 4

On the seventh day, the ship was ready for hyperjump and everyone on board was tense. The bridge crew were ready at their position; Keith on the helm, Kolivan in the captain’s chair, Thace at communications, Antok on navigations, and Shiro on artillery.

 

When Slav gave them clearance, Keith punched the ship into hyperjump and he felt a brief sensation of being stretched thin. It didn’t last long, though, because then the ship’s life support adjusted to the hyperspace effect pretty quickly.

 

“Status?” Kolivan asked.

 

“All sensors are normal”, Antok replied.

 

“Course plotted to the Great Veloxian Archive”, Keith added. “ETA five hundred ticks.”

 

“I just want to remind you guys that the hyperdrive generator will only hold for six hundred ticks or so. If we push it, we’ll get stranded even longer”, Slav chirped through the comm.

 

“Duly noted, Slav”, Kolivan answered.

 

Then, the ship jostled with a bang.

 

“What was that?” Keith asked, his hands tense on the controls. They couldn’t see a single thing while inside the hyperspace.

 

“Nothing on navigation”, Antok answered from Keith’s right.

 

“Stay alert”, Kolivan said. “ETA?”

 

Another jostle, stronger this time. Keith tried to hold the helm steady. It would be bad if they were getting off-course mid-hyperjump. Who knew where they would land then.

 

“Three hundred ticks!”

 

When the third time it happened, it knocked the ship out of hyperspace with a deafening bang. Keith screamed, the red alert blared, and it was only thanks to his seatbelt that he wasn’t getting thrown out of his chair.

 

The sensors flashed and Keith caught the sight of an asteroid, even bigger than their ship. Twisting the controls, he pulled the ship underneath it, but saw another one behind it.

 

“Navigation!” Kolivan barked at Antok.

 

“Dalterion Belt— or, it used to be,” Antok growled. “Mapping out a safe path now.”

 

Antok worked fast, and in no time Keith got a clear projection of the asteroid belt. He weaved the ship between the chunks of rock easily, though his hands were still shaking from shock.

 

“Slav, what in the name of Mother Universe is happening?!” Kolivan was almost hysteric and Keith would’ve turned at his dad if he wasn't busy navigating the ship.

 

“I don't know! The hyperdrive generator is fully operational! Nothing’s out of order!” Slav yelled back. “And you know how I feel about order! Stop— Stop yelling at me!”

 

A sigh. Then, Kolivan turned off the red alert. The absence of the blaring noises and bright strobe lights did wonders to Keith’s nerves. He relaxed almost immediately.

 

“Can we do another hyperjump?” Kolivan asked again.

 

“Not until I find what's wrong”, Slav answered, his voice sounded calmer than before. “Sorry, Captain.”

 

Keith was too focused on their interaction, that he almost missed the sight outside the viewer.

 

A bright yellow disk swirled lazily, with a dark spot at its center. It looked like a black hole, but the sensors were not picking up any gravitational pull that would have been present if it had been one. It didn’t look like a star either, and Keith felt that slight anticipation building in his stomach whenever he was seeing new weird space things.

 

Before any of them could say anything, however, Allura barged into the bridge. “What is— oh…”

 

Keith could see the way her eyes widened at the sight of the odd light disk and was surprised to find recognition there.

 

“Oh no”, she whispered. “What is it doing  _ here? _ ”

 

“Allura?” Kolivan asked, almost hesitant. “What do you know about this… phenomenon?”

 

She bit her lips, brows furrowing, before she averted her eyes. “I— I don’t know what it is”, she eventually answered. “But I know that it’s something  _ really _ dangerous. We should really get away from here this instant.”

 

“Uh, we can’t”, Keith told her. “We just got knocked out of hyperjump prematurely. We can’t hyperjump away until Slav’s fixed the generator.”

 

Kolivan gave him a pointed look, but Keith simply gave his dad a shrug. He was right though, and it would be pointless to lie to her when she would find out about it eventually.

 

“Uh”, he heard Thace making a confused noise from his console. “This doesn’t make any sense, but I’m picking an  _ Altean _ distress signal coming from that.”

 

" _ What?! _ " Allura and Kolivan turned at the same time.

 

Keith turned to Antok, who frowned at his own console. “There’s a ship in there.”

 

He pulled up an image of a tiny black dot amongst the swirling light. When Antok enhanced the image, it did look like a ship. The design was Altean, but it was nothing like Keith had ever seen before.

 

Kolivan let out a string of very creative curses.

 

“We are required to answer distress signals under the Imperial Spacefaring Code.” They didn't sound too excited to do an unexpected rescue mission.

 

“What?! You can’t go in there, Kolivan! It’s too dangerous!” Allura cried out.

 

“Well, we can’t just ignore it!” Keith argued. He didn’t know why Allura was so adamant about not helping the Altean ship. There was someone trapped in there, and the  _ Marmora _ could do something to save them. Maybe he was being naive, but if it was the  _ Marmora _ that had gotten stuck in there, he certainly would have wanted someone to save them.

 

Kolivan tapped their fingers on their armrest, before turning to Antok. “We were knocked off-course. Is our current position logged?”

 

“Well… no”, Antok answered, confused. “Do you want me to log it?”

 

“No.”

 

Keith turned to his dad— pretty sure he wasn’t the only one either.

 

“Dad… You can't be serious?!”

 

“It’s an unknown object, Keith. If it’s dangerous, we can’t jump head first into it without knowing what it will do to us”, Kolivan gritted their teeth.

 

“But the Code—”

 

“We are not breaking any code if we’re not here”, Kolivan argued.

 

Something inside him snapped at his dad’s careless words. Surely Kolivan couldn’t be serious,  _ right? _

 

“There are people in there, Dad!” Keith cried. Breathing hard, he ignored the stares of the entire bridge crew (and Allura). “There are people in there who might need our help!”

 

“We're not here to play heroes, Keith!” Kolivan shouted back. They were in a stand-off and Keith held the urge to bend under Kolivan’s pressure.

 

“I’m not risking my  _ crew _ ”, they added. Though their voice was calm, Keith felt like he was being punched.

 

Ears drooping, Keith sat down in the pilot chair, twiddling his thumbs. His eyes shifted to the enhanced image of the unknown ship.

 

“Slav, what’s our chance to hyperjump away from here?” Kolivan commed to engineering. “Nothing too far. Just to get away from here.”

 

“Have you lost your mind?! I still don’t know yet what knocked us out of the hyperspace in the first place!” Slav cried back.

 

“ _ Slav _ ”, Kolivan snarled. Obviously this was also a hard decision for them too. “The  _ chance _ .”

 

A brief silence. “... forty-seven point thirty-six percent, Captain.”

 

“That’s enough chance for me”, Kolivan decided. “Antok, if we hyperjump for one-hundred ticks, where it will bring us?”

 

Keith half-listened as his uncle fiddled with the navigation. It didn’t take long until a new course was plotted.

 

The last thing he saw before the  _ Marmora _ entered hyperspace was the sight of the Altean ship getting completely swallowed by light.

 

—

 

They jumped into a system inhabited by a pre-spacefaring species and stayed there while everyone on board helped Slav figuring out what was wrong with the hyperdrive generator. Slav was very adamant on doing a complete check, a very reasonable decision, but it would have made them stay stranded longer than what was planned.

 

They still didn’t know what the light disk phenomenon was. Keith got curious enough and accessed the Archive to find out about it, but nothing matching his search. There was something about Altean wormholes, which he initially suspected what it was— a wormhole malfunction —but the two looked very different to what they had encountered.

 

Kolivan had enforced a ban on talking about the Altean ship they abandoned— even went as far to ‘kindly’ reminded their clients and Shiro that if they made a fuss about it, they swore they would drag the three of them into bureaucracy hell too. 

 

In private, Keith knew his dad tried to find out about the ship’s identity. They didn’t seem to be successful, as it seemed.

 

The uncertainty caused Kolivan’s anxiety to spike. It was already bad to begin with, and in turn soured the mood of all the main crew. Antok had been hitting the training deck, sometimes literally, and Keith wisely avoided his uncle when he was in such a bad mood.

 

Even Thace and Ulaz had been arguing a lot. Keith saw the tail end of one of their arguments when Ulaz threw a pillow to Thace’s head. Thace left the hallway, bushy-eared and had been grateful enough that Ulaz hadn’t thrown something more deadly in his direction. 

 

Keith tucked himself inside his room to avoid everyone else, not wanting to get caught in the middle of a storm. He came out only when his stomach begged for food and his bladder screamed to be emptied— and that was it. Thankfully, there was a new game coming out and Keith had busied himself trying to finish it.

 

He was in the middle of doing a quest when someone beeped on his door. Pulling up a screen, he immediately sat up straight when he saw Shiro on the video feed.

 

Cursing under his breath, Keith quickly picked up his dirty clothes and tablewares that he hadn’t cleaned up yet and stuffed them into the recycler chute. Handmade clothes and other knick-knacks were roughly shoved under his bed. Once he deemed his room was clean enough, he opened the door to his room, smiling lopsidedly.

 

“Hi! Sorry, I’ve been…” He made a vague gesture at the direction of his room.

 

“Oh, sorry, did I disturb you?” Shiro asked with a frown.

 

“Oh no no, not at all.” Keith shook his head. “I’ve been doing nothing, playing games, and—”

 

He didn't know how to finish that sentence.

 

“Hiding?” Shiro added, eyebrows raised.

 

Keith sighed, eyes meeting Shiro’s. “Can you blame me?”

 

“No”, Shiro answered almost without a pause. He took a brief moment to turn away, before turning to face him back, looking even more awkward than Keith expected of a man of his size and stature. “Listen, can you… you know, take me to the simulator? Again?”

 

Oh. Well, that was unexpected.

 

Thanks to everything that had been happening in the last couple of days, Keith had forgotten about their exchange in the simulation room and the fact that Shiro had been avoiding him. He probably should’ve apologized, but Shiro didn’t seem wanting to bring up the topic at the moment. And if he wanted to be honest, so did Keith.

 

“Okay, yeah. Sure.” Keith shrugged. “Let me turn off my game for a tick.”

 

He hurried back into his room and closed down several holoscreens, pausing briefly when he saw a chat from Narti. Quickly tapping his reply, he shut down the interstellar messaging screen too, before shutting off his desktop. He grabbed his sweater from the bed before walking up to meet Shiro. “Let’s go.”

 

They could hear Antok’s muffled grunts when they reached the training deck, and Keith felt heat creeping up his face. It wasn’t really his business if his uncle decided to blow off steam the other way, so to speak, but he wished Antok would do it somewhere with less people would walk in by chance.

 

Shiro didn’t say anything, and Keith was grateful for that. They reached the simulation room in no time, and Keith locked the door behind him, just so no one would bother them. He logged Shiro on into the simulation, before stepping away.

 

“I set it up for cruiser-class. You can do a few rounds if you want, I'm going to grab a few snacks then I’ll watch your sim after that”, Keith told Shiro.

 

“Thanks for doing this.” Shiro gave his shoulder a firm pat.

 

Keith tried hard not to blush. He wasn't sure if he was successful. “No problem. Good luck.”

 

He was definitely not skipping on his way to the food synthesizer installed in one corner of the room. Shiro’s bionic hand was surprisingly warm and heavy. The sensation still lingered hours later, when he was back in his room with smile stuck on his face.

 

Getting stranded was awful, but Keith felt it wasn’t that bad overall.

 

— 

 

It took them seven days until Slav cleared them for another hyperjump. He still didn’t know what caused it to malfunction in the first place, and it made him extremely paranoid. If Slav didn’t know that they didn’t have enough money to replace the hyperdrive generator, Keith was almost sure that Slav would toss it out of the airlock at the first chance he got.

 

The sight of the Great Veloxian Archive usually would have made Keith jump in his seat, but frankly he just wanted to fold himself into one of the corners of the Archive and read until all his worries were gone.

 

Even Archivemaster Haggar noticed the gloom that their crew carried into the lobby. She tutted in that oddly maternal way of hers, before pulling Kolivan’s wrist.

 

“You boys are always getting into trouble”, she grumbled as she scanned their membership chips. When it was his turn, Keith winced when her claws dug into his wrist.

 

Archivemaster Haggar was not a Veloxian, that much was obvious. In fact, she didn’t look like any beings that Keith knew. She looked like a Galra with her reflective yellow eyes and purplish skin, but she was so short compared to even the shortest Galran hybrid. Haggar also claimed that she wasn’t born Galran, though she refused to tell about her heritage and would gleefully maim anyone who asked.

 

She was old too, even though she didn’t look like it. Kolivan claimed that she was even older than their parents, who grew up with the Archivemaster Guild. Her back was bowing from age, but Keith knew that she was still physically strong enough to throw a Galra out if they were rude enough.

 

“We need everything you have about the Outer Rim”, Kolivan told her, ignoring her initial greeting.

 

“I haven’t scanned those three yet.” She waved in Shiro, Allura, and Coran’s direction.

 

“I lost my chip”, Shiro told her, waving his bionic arm.

 

With a humph, she slammed down a datapad on the table hard enough to make everything else rattle. “Name, race, heritage, origin, any information you can put down so I can find your membership.”

 

She turned to pin her glare to the other two. “And what about you two? Lost your chips too?”

 

“Ah, no…” Allura approached the desk almost hesitantly. “I’ve… never made a membership?”

 

Keith raised his eyebrows. What kind of person didn’t have Archive membership in this time and age?

 

Haggar seemed to think the same too, frowning, before she turned to search for something in her messy front desk. Piles upon piles of datapads clattered as she tried to find for something, who knew what.

 

She made a pleased noise when she pulled out an old-looking chip-injector— no, seriously, that thing could be from the Fifth Reformation Era and Keith wouldn’t be surprised at all. She brought the creepy old thing back to them, grinning almost too happily. With her hands above her desktop keypad, she turned to Allura, who jolted in alarm.

 

“Name?” Haggar asked.

 

“Allura”, Allura answered, looked slightly pale as she eyed the chip-injector.

 

Keith almost missed the odd look flashing in Haggar’s face, eyes widening just a fraction and mouth hanging open, before her expression turning into something like a confusion. The next moment, it was gone and she began to interrogate Allura in earnest.

 

Keith wondered if he had imagined Haggar’s expression.

 

Making up a new membership for the Archive was always a long, tedious process, so Keith took one of the datapads that was provided to be used inside the Archive and trotted to the elevator.

 

When he reached the astronomy section, immediately, he felt more at home. Rows upon rows of databanks lined the floor, blue light pulsing from the processors. Above his head, a miniature of their home galaxy swirled lazily, orbiting a bright supermassive black hole.

 

The black hole reminded Keith of the light disk phenomenon, and Keith quickly darted further into the section. That was exactly the reason he wanted to check this section— he wanted to find out about the phenomenon. Surely the Great Archive kept something about that, right?

 

Plopping down at the neural reader, he tried to pull out the memory about the light disk as best as he could. It wasn’t hard— he still had nightmares about it. In his nightmares, he was usually floating out in space, hands reaching out to the  _ Marmora _ as the ship was slowly swallowed by the bright light disk.

 

He shook his head, trying to forget about his nightmares.

 

Thankfully, the reader captured an almost perfect image from his memory. It was slightly blurry, but he supposed that would be enough for the algorithm.

 

It took awhile for the system to process his inquiry. Keith waited with knots inside his gut and it tightened even more as time passed. He didn’t know what he was going to do if the Archive didn’t have anything about the phenomenon— but on the other hand, he also didn’t know what he was going to do if it did.

 

And it did— screens upon screens popped up before him, most displaying similar phenomena to what he saw. There were some unrelated results showing up too; black holes, Altean wormhole, dying stars. Keith dismissed them and focused on the ones he was looking for instead.

 

Keith didn’t know if the results shown were lacking or not. He tried to read in depth at first, but they were mostly speculations.

 

_ No one _ actually knew about the true nature of the light disk. A group of exploratory spacefarers had dedicated their lives to hunt for the mysterious phenomenon and their crewmembers could be traced back several generations— but still, they didn’t know about it except for the barest minimum.

 

All they knew about it was that it appeared randomly and disappeared without a trace. Of course, they tried to send in drones and unmanned vessels, but they got destroyed upon touching the light. Unlike black holes, it did not seem to emit any known radiation; which meant that it emitted something else, something yet unknown.

 

There were also interviews from several eyewitnesses describing about how sometimes they saw various things coming out of the light disk. Altean ships were the most common, but there were also eyewitnesses who mentioned about Axocarian Star-Cradles or unknown vessels shaped like nothing they'd ever seen before.

 

Keith pulled out images of those unknown vessels. They were too small and too blurry— the image was probably captured through a neural reader. They left green, red, blue, and yellow streaks in their wake. Keith squinted his eyes hard, trying to figure out their shape.

 

The shape seemed eerily familiar.

 

And then it hit him— lions. 

 

Those unknown vessels reminded him of the Voltron Lions.

 

Voltron was a childhood fairytale, passed down from generation to generation. People said it brought peace to the Universe a long,  _ long _ time ago, back before the Axocarian Colonial Era. Some version of the stories also said that the Last Emperor of Daibazaal, Zarkon the Protector, had also been a Paladin of Voltron.

 

His dad loved anything related to the old Daibazaal history and culture, including the folklores. They had books about them—the whole series about Zarkon the Protector doing various heroic things, like fighting space pirates, taking down tyrants, and leading the other Paladins of Voltron to fight creatures of unimaginable horror. When he was a kid, Kolivan told him those stories every night and Keith  _ loved _ them all.

 

But Voltron and the Lions were all fake. They were stories told by the ancestors at the beginning of the Colonial Era. The Axocarians had been ruthless, uncaring to all biological beings. It was a dark time in their history—and the story of Voltron was born to give people hope, that one day a savior would descend from the heavens to free them from all their pain and suffering.

 

No one actually knew if Voltron had existed  _ at all _ .

 

Keith stared at the blurry images in front of him and frowned. He was being stupid. Maybe they weren’t lions at all. Maybe they were like experimental crafts created by some lunatics to resemble the Voltron Lions.

 

—but then, why would they appear at the same time with the Star Cradle?

 

The Star Cradle was the Axocarian’s strongest weapon. It could create a matter so dense it would become a temporal singularity and wipe out an entire star system in mere doboshes. Obviously it hadn’t been used after the Colonial Era, but there were people who were old enough to witness it in battle.

 

And yet— 

 

—there was no mistaking that some objects that came out of the light disk looked very much like the Star Cradle. Why did the Imperial Fleet still use them? Weren’t they supposed to be decommissioned after the Colonial Era?

 

Keith gasped when it finally caught up to him.

 

The Imperial Fleet was still using the Star Cradle.

 

Dread shook him to his cores. Everything else suddenly stopped mattering— the Lion-like vessels, the mysterious Altean ships. This… this was the  _ highest _ level of conspiracy—there was no way that this was happening,  _ right? _

 

_ Oh stars _ . What was going to happen to him?

 

Quickly, he stuffed everything he could find into his own datapad. He needed to show his dad about this. Allura was right, the light disk phenomena was dangerous. Not only it was capable of destruction, apparently it also connected to the Star Cradles.

 

He rushed to the elevator, only to find Shiro walking towards him halfway there.

 

“Oh, there you are! Kolivan said I can probably find you in this section—” Shiro paused, his expression shifting into confusion. “What’s wrong?”

 

“Let’s go”, Keith grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to the elevator. “Do you know where my dad is?”

 

“Uh. Sub-level eight, I think”, Shiro answered confusedly. “But they told you to get back to the ship.”

 

The xenobiology section, Keith’s mind supplied. They were probably looking something about the creatures from the Outer Rim. He shoved Shiro into the elevator and crammed himself next to him, before pressing the xenobiology level.

 

“But I thought we’re—”

 

“I need to show my dad something”, Keith interrupted, his voice tense. He felt Shiro shift slightly—the weight of his stare felt heavy on Keith’s shoulders, but he didn’t say anything.  _ Thankfully. _

 

The elevator door opened at sub-level eight and an Axocarian drone blocked their path.

 

The non-biological being was tall and spindly, its body seemed to be made out of stone blocks, with glimmering blue veins running on its surface like a complicated network. Keith felt his stomach drop.

 

The Maestro of Axocarium Empire put drones at public places as a way to show people that they were still in charge of everything. The drones reported suspicious activity back to the Maestro. The Archivemaster Guild had been against the drones’ presence in their sacred sanctum, but they couldn’t do anything about it— the Maestro could accuse them of hosting rebellious activity.

 

The Colonial Era had ended  _ ages _ ago, but the Axocarium Empire was still in control of everything.

 

Keith waited for the drone to do something, but it seemed to be unmoving, like it was waiting to take its turn to use the elevator. Steeling his nerves, Keith ducked under it and tried to keep his pace steady. Shiro was following behind him, equally tense. 

 

Keith could see the top of Kolivan’s head poking out from the databanks.

 

“Halt”, mechanical voice rang in the vast room, creating an echo that seemed to freeze Keith’s blood. His heart beat faster and he quickened his pace.

 

“Halt”, the drone repeated. Keith tugged Shiro’s arm and broke into running.

 

“Dad!” Keith cried out. Kolivan turned, their eyes widening.

 

“Keith, what—”

 

A purple blast flashed behind him, the wind nearly causing him to stumble. Keith and Shiro turned almost at the same time, only to find a smoldering pile of what used to be the drone. Haggar rematerialized before them, her teeth bared in an ugly snarl.

 

“An Imperial captain gave us an order to hand Keith over. It has a proof that you searched for ‘restricted information’. You must escape!”

 

_ Shit _ , Keith cursed. There was probably a drone at the astronomy section who watched him the whole time.

 

“ _ What?! _ ” Kolivan approached Keith. “What’s happening, Haggar? Keith?”

 

Keith showed them his datapad where he kept everything he just found. “The Axocarium Empire is still using the Star Cradle—”

 

“There is no time!” Haggar hissed. “Run! I’ll give you some cover, but not for long. I still need to protect all the knowledge inside this Archive.”

 

Keith turned to his dad, waiting. Eventually, Kolivan’s face steeled before they nodded.

 

“Be safe”, they told Haggar, before urging Keith and Shiro towards the hangar. As they were running, they commed the others to get back to the ship and prepare for escape.

 

“The hyperdrive generator is still not ready!” Slav replied with a cry.

 

Before Kolivan could reply, another communication screen popped up; Haggar.

 

“I can create a wormhole for you to escape. It won’t be too far, so you need to make sure that you are not followed”, she rasped. She sounded like she was in the middle of a fight, purple light illuminating her face. Thin red markings ran down her sharp cheekbones—it was the first time Keith saw those on her.

 

So, Haggar was an Altean. Keith… did not see that coming. Alteans were shapeshifters, but why would she hide her own appearance?

 

“Thank you, Haggar”, Kolivan said before ending the comm line.

 

By the time the three of them reached the Marmora, Slav had turned on the engines. The rest of the crews and Allura were already gathering on the bridge.

 

“What’s going on? An Imperial Captain just commed—”

 

“Turn it off”, Kolivan interrupted. Thace frowned, but did as they said. “Listen, I want you all to gather every communication device, every datapad, every piece of technology that can be used to track us down and put it in an escape pod. We’ll throw them out of the airlock after we launch.”

 

“What?!” Thace, Ulaz, and—surprisingly—Allura cried out at the same time. They began to shout things one after another. It was  _ chaotic _ .

 

But then Antok let out a great roar, and everyone fell quiet in an instant. The silence afterward was even more deafening, like something terrible would happen.

 

No. It was already happening.

 

“Listen, I don’t know what's happening. I’m just as confused as you are”, Kolivan said, their voice dreadfully calm. Keith gripped the datapad in his hands tighter. “But the Imperial Fleet is willing to attack the Archive,  _ our sacred sanctum _ , so I’d say they're not going to let us go that easily. Our first priority is to get away from them.  _ Untracked _ .”

 

Slowly, everyone began to move to gather their things. Antok synthesized a disposal bag for them to put comms, datapads, and various gadgets in. Meanwhile, Thace worked to disconnect the ship from the Imperial log, the interstellar network, and their connection to the Archivemaster Guild.

 

Keith felt nothing but numbness as he put his gaming console in.

 

“We’ll buy you another one later, cub”, Antok patted his shoulder, trying to be reassuring.

 

But that was not what Keith was worried about.

 

“Keith, the datapad”, Antok shook the bag in front of him, and suddenly he was very much aware about the information contained in the datapad in his hands.

 

“It’s… I took it from the Archive. It’s not connected to anything”, Keith showed it to Kolivan, who frowned. They were not supposed to take the Archive-only datapads out of the perimeter, so it lacked functions that any normal models would usually have, such as connection to the interstellar network.

 

Kolivan turned to Thace, who gently took the datapad from Keith’s hand. His uncle opened its back panel and ripped out something with his claws, dumping it into the bag in Antok’s hands.

 

Once everything was gathered inside the bag, Antok headed down to the hangar. Keith sank slowly in the pilot chair, while the others took their respective seat. Ulaz took Antok’s place in navigation.

 

“Prepare for launch”, Kolivan commanded.

 

Keith released the  _ Marmora _ from its dock, releasing the inertia dampener, then slowly took it out of the hangar.

 

Just like Haggar said, the Imperial Fleet was already waiting for them outside the Archive perimeter, battle-cruisers neatly lined in half-spherical formation. Keith lost count after twenty, and it seemed like there were at least  _ four times _ than that out there.

 

And all of them were coming for  _ him _ .

 

“Punch it!”

 

Keith kicked all the back thrusters and took the  _ Marmora _ vertical to the fleet. As if on cue, the battle-cruisers began to chase after them. They seemed like they didn’t want to fire with the Great Veloxian Archive inside their shooting range.

 

So they weren’t so careless, after all. Good to know.

 

It was only when the Great Archive began to move, that they started shooting. Immediately, Shiro raised the particle barrier. Still, Keith weaved the ship up and under the beams, banking hard to the left, and one of the battle-cruisers hit the other in a friendly fire.

 

“Pod launched”, Antok's voice came through the ship comm.

 

Just in time, Keith thought. Two wormholes opened simultaneously. Keith chased after the smaller one. The Fleet’s ion cannons hit the particle barrier several times, but thankfully it held. The ship entered the wormhole, and it immediately closed behind them

 

The wormhole spat them out at Thaldycon System and Keith wanted to  _ kill _ Haggar, if she didn’t just save their collective asses. He dodged the xanthorian clusters one after another, until he could slow down the ship.

 

“Slav, can you cloak us in?” Kolivan commed Slav, who made long, unintelligible mumbles in reply. “Slav?”

 

“Ugh, I know that teludav is the safest mean of transportation, but I still  _ hate _ it”, Slav sounded like he had just thrown up. “I don’t know, Kolivan. It’s been awhile since we used it. I know that I created it, but—”

 

“Then you know about it more than any of us”, Kolivan said.

 

“Technically, it’ll hold long enough while we wait for the hyperdrive generator to be up and running”, Slav answered. “I’ll turn it on right now.”

 

“What are you doing?” Allura's voice surprised Keith. He wasn’t the only one who had forgotten about her presence—the others, even Kolivan, turned and found her standing by the wall, holding the railing there to keep herself upright.

 

“We have unsanctioned technology called gravity generator. Slav made it by folding space-time to keep us hidden from all known sensors”, Kolivan explained.

 

The hum from the gravity generator was incredibly relieving and Keith took a long breath as space folded around them. It had been a  _ very _ stressful week and he wasn’t even done explaining about the light disk phenomenon they encountered  _ yet _ .

 

“This is… amazing”, Shiro breathed out, chuckling. “And we're safe inside here?”

 

“Correct”, Kolivan smiled. “How's the particle barrier holding?”

 

Shiro focused at his console before replying. “We’re at twenty-eight percent. Should we keep it up?”

 

“Yes, it will recharge as long as it's not taking hits”, Kolivan answered. They made a ship-wide announcement. “Briefing in the star room now.”

 

Keith unbuckled himself from his seat, before following the others into the elevator. The datapad felt heavy in his hand, like it carried the weight of the entire Universe.

 

Maybe in a way it did. It didn’t make him feel any better.


	5. Chapter 5

“What in the name of Mother Universe’s hell, Keith?!” Thace immediately hissed as soon as Keith and Kolivan entered the star room. Sensing aggression from his uncle, Keith flinched and stepped behind Kolivan, ears drooping.

 

“Thace”, Kolivan growled. “Heel.”

 

Thace snarled, ears pinned back, but he obeyed. He slunk next to Ulaz who gave his shoulder a gentle pat.

 

“Forgive us if we’re feeling curious, Captain”, Ulaz said. “But I was there when the Imperial Captain hailed us. It said Keith broke into the database to find about ‘restricted materials’ and, well… you know how Keith is.”

 

“You mean, always looking for  _ trouble? _ ” Thace added.

 

Keith felt white hot anger burn inside his gut, shooting his uncle a betrayed look. “That was  _ one _ time!”

 

“We just got chased by  _ half of the Imperial Fleet _ , Keith! We’re going to be branded criminals! This isn’t a joke!” Thace shouted back.

 

Keith didn’t know why Thace was so angry at him, it wasn’t his fault! He had found a strange space phenomenon and wanted to find out what it was. His curiosity was  _ natural! _ It wasn’t like he expected to stumble into some kind of a great conspiracy that could doom the entire known Universe!

 

With a flick of his hand, he pulled the files from the Archive, spreading the screens in the air between them so everyone could see.

 

“ _ This  _ is what I was looking for!” he spread his arms, feeling a sick satisfaction at the look of total confusion on Thace’s face. “I still don’t know what it is but it’s connected to the Star Cradle someho—”

 

“No, it’s not.”

 

Keith turned Allura— so did everyone else.

 

Standing next to Coran’s towering height, she looked small, almost frail. Her hair spilling around her, shrouding her face. She took a deep breath, jaw clenched, as she stared back at them with fire in her eyes.

 

“It’s not connected to the Star Cradle in the way you think it is”, she said. “What it is, is a natural phenomenon called the Time Rift, caused by quintessential instability. I was telling the truth when I said that it’s dangerous.”

 

“Princess…” Coran whispered.

 

Wait, what?

 

“Did you just call her ‘Princess’...?” Shiro asked.

 

Coran spluttered and gasped, trying to find words. But Allura touched his upper arm gently, before closing her eyes.

 

It was so mesmerizing to watch her height shrink and her skin turn from purple to brown. Her arms became shorter, her features smoothening, and her ears shifted in length— though they were still pointy. Pink mark appeared upon her cheeks, glowing brightly in the dimly-light star room.

 

First Haggar, now Allura too?

 

“I  _ knew _ it!” Slav punched the air. “I should've seen it coming! She’s Altean in ninety-five percent of realities!”

 

“Yeah. Great. Are there any other Alteans that I should know about?” Thace laughed nervously.

 

“Oh! That would be me”, Coran perked up, and his features too changed into that of an Altean man— though the bright orange hair and mustache was an added surprise.

 

“That was supposed to be  _ rhetorical _ ”, Thace grumbled. Next to him, Antok snorted.

 

Keith turned from his uncles and found something like betrayal in Kolivan’s face. So his dad didn’t know that the woman that they had been close in two weeks turned out to be not who she said she was. Would his dad be mad that they were lied to? Disappointed?

 

“My name is Princess Allura from Planet Altea”, Allura spoke, and Keith forced himself to look away from the pain in his dad’s face. “And I came from ten thousand years ago.”

 

She then told them about how it all began from a comet. A single comet that hit Daibazaal, the Galran old home-planet, and opened a rift to another universe. It allowed non-biological creatures to pass through—they became what people called the Axocarians today.

 

Allura’s father, King-Alchemist Alfor, turned the comet from Daibazaal into five Voltron Lions as a means to defeat the Axocarians. The Lions picked five leaders as their Paladins and together they managed to fight back.

 

For a moment, there was peace.

 

But then, the Axocarians increased their aggression. Planet Daibazaal shattered, unable to hold the trans-universal rift any longer, and the Axocarians spilled into this universe like the terrible beings they were. They destroyed Planet Altea and other planets within Voltron Alliance.

 

“As a last resort, my father took the Voltron Lions in our Castleship and put the Paladins of Voltron in cryosleep, hoping that we will be able to defeat them somewhere in the future”, Allura said, her voice shook. 

 

“There three of us—me, the Princess, and Zarkon’s wife, Lady Honerva—were tasked to bring the Castleship away”, Coran added. “But when the Princess opened the wormhole to get away from them, it was tainted by quintessence and instead opened a Time Rift. The three of us fell into it.”

 

“When we came out, ten thousand years have passed. We never found Honerva…” Allura ended.

 

Tears rolled down her eyes. Immediately, Coran pulled her into a tight embrace, as if afraid that she would disappear too.

 

“The shuttle”, Antok broke the silence. “You said it carried a few cryo-passengers along with some piece of technology. It has the Paladins and Voltron, right?”

 

Allura gave him a thin smile, her eyes still wet as if she was going to cry again. “Yes. We managed to locate it using Voltron's unique signature. But like I said, we hadn't been successful in retrieving it…”

 

Probably because it was so close to the Outer Rim. 

 

Her story was so outrageous. It sounded crazy,  _ impossible _ . But after everything that Keith had learned today, everything seemed to be possible. After all, why would she spend a huge sum of money and risked everything to retrieve it?

 

Still, something nagged at the back of his head.

 

“What is… quintessence?” he asked.

 

“It’s an unknown material”, Coran answered. “Lady Honerva did a research about it, but she only managed to understand a tiny fraction of it. It is said that quintessence is in everywhere and that the Axocarians feed on it.”

 

“It still doesn’t explain why the Imperial Fleet went after us because Keith found out about the Time Rift”, Kolivan finally spoke for the first time since Allura’s reveal.

 

_ Oh _ . “I think… it’s not about the Time Rift, but about the Voltron Lions?” Keith offered, scratching his cheek sheepishly. “I kinda looked at it for a long time, but I was more focused on the Star Cradle.”

 

“If there’s anything that can defeat the Star Cradle, it would be Voltron”, Allura said. “The Axocarium Empire probably doesn’t want you to find it.”

 

Uncomfortable silence hung above them, and Keith couldn’t stand it. The uncertainty about what would happen to their crew hung heavy, and Keith couldn’t stand it  _ at all _ . He wished he was standing closer to his family so he could hold onto them. It was a cub-ish instinct and it was  _ stupid _ , okay, but he wished they could comfort him.

 

“This is crazy”, Thace eventually said. “Kolivan, are you sure about this? There’s no turning back if we get branded as criminals. Nothing will protect us anymore, and the Imperial Fleet might go after the Archivemaster Guild too."

 

"The Axocarium Empire does not care about us biological beings", Ulaz argued, and for a moment Keith could see the silent conversation between them. It was weird to see Thace and Ulaz disagreed about something.

 

‘The Axocarium Empire did not care about biological beings’ — Keith sensed something like a painful history behind that sentiment, until he remembered that both Thace and Ulaz used to be part of the Fleet long before Keith was born and adopted into the family.

 

Keith watched the moment Thace broke, his shoulders sagging and his expression turning into something like defeat. They both turned to face Kolivan, Keith following suit, and they were all waiting for their captain, their leader, the head of their family.

 

Kolivan was quiet for a painfully long time. Keith knew that all his dad wanted was to protect their family—and this might bring them all into more danger instead. Another war might break out, with them at the center of it.  _ We’re not here to play heroes _ , he still remembered what his dad said.

 

"We’re already branded as criminals. If we weren’t, the Empire wouldn’t have bothered taking half the fleet to intercept us", Kolivan said. They refused to meet everyone's eyes. “If Voltron is really the only thing that can save us, then I guess we don’t have any choice other than to retrieve it.”

 

So it was decided then.

 

— 

 

After that, it was decided that they would build a teludav so they could reach the Outer Rim faster. Allura said her bloodline allowed her to open wormholes.

 

“Are you saying this whole time we could’ve installed a teludav on our ship and we can switch back and forth between hyperjump and wormhole?” Slav sounded rightfully pissed off.

 

Allura didn’t know how to answer that. Slav was still fuming and grumbling under his breath.

 

“We need to make sure that we won’t accidentally open the Time Rift instead of normal wormhole”, Coran said.

 

While the rest of his family squabbled, Keith noticed a movement at his peripheral vision and turned right on time to see Shiro sneak out of the star room. His family failed to notice this, which was really quite a feat. Perhaps Shiro was just that sneaky, or perhaps they were all too high-strung from today’s event.

 

But when Keith tried to sneak out too, Antok turned and gave him a look. Keith mouthed ‘bathroom’ at his uncle, who nodded before watching Slav, Coran, Kolivan, and Allura planned. Keith was grateful that no one else noticed him and he followed Shiro, keeping his footsteps silent.

 

He found Shiro heading down to the hangar, wearing the same get-up he wore when he stepped into the  _ Marmora  _ the first time. When Shiro was preparing a pod—their last one, since they lost the other when they escaped from the Imperial Fleet—Keith frowned and decided that he couldn’t wait any longer.

 

“What are you doing?” Keith asked and felt something like a weird parallel with the first time they actually interacted at the near-beginning of their travel together. Except this time, Shiro reacted violently, flinching, and his bionic arm glowing blue and ready to attack.

 

“Oh, hey…” Shiro’s shoulders sagged and his arm deactivated. “Are you going to stop me?”

 

“Should I?” Keith asked back, tilting his head.

 

There was a silence between them when Shiro shoved his bag into the pod—huh, so he’d kept his bag hidden under his cloak. Then, Shiro turned back at him.

 

“I can’t be part of this”, he waved vaguely at the air. “This… rebellion, whatever. The Axocarium Empire might not be truly  _ good _ , but it keeps everything in  _ order _ , you know?”

 

Keith blinked, but kept quiet.

 

“You don’t know how bad is it out there. I was with those slavers for  _ months _ , I had to escape on my own”, Shiro continued his rambling, raising his bionic hand as if to scratch his head only to pause halfway before switching to his left hand.

 

Keith wanted to point out that if the Empire really cared about keeping everything in order, there would be no slaver ships going around terrorizing citizens. But he didn’t know if Shiro would accept that.

 

He didn’t really care about the Empire, anyway. Sure, he probably had been a law-abiding citizen just because his piloting license, and the continuity of the Marmora crew depended entirely to his ability to behave under the Imperial Laws and Codes. But still, his loyalty had always been to his family, first and foremost—and by extension, the Archivemaster Guild.

 

“Look…” Shiro took a deep breath, before continuing. “I don’t care if you and your crew are going to break some serious law or whatever, but I… I can’t be part of this.”

 

With that, he heaved himself into the pod.

 

Keith felt he probably should do something to stop Shiro, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he held the pod door open when Shiro tried to close it and stared at the Human dead in the eye.

 

“If you breathe a word about our location to the Imperial Fleet, I swear on Zarkon’s name I will find you and I will run my blade through your chest”, he said.  _ Do not mess with my family  _ went unspoken.

 

Shiro narrowed his eyes but said nothing else. In a dobosh, the pod launched off.

 

— 

 

Kolivan only gave Keith a mild lecturing about letting Shiro go like that, before shooing him off.

 

They turned off the gravity generator only to hyperjump away. They didn’t get too far, but it was definitely way off their course just in case Shiro decided to tattle to the nearest Imperial base. Slav had been so annoyed and claimed that the jump would get them stranded indefinitely, but he wasn’t mad at Keith in particular.

 

Still, Keith felt guilty about it.

 

When they started building the teludav, Keith found out that his family had some  _ serious _ hoarding problem. Slav kept some junk parts that could be reused in his workshop, but that was nothing new.

 

Kolivan had a stash of scaultrite scattered  _ everywhere _ aboard the ship—in the shape of tiny trinkets and faux geodes. Keith didn’t even know that they were made out of scaultrite. The sheer amount of it in Kolivan’s possession, Coran claimed, was large enough to build a giant teludav capable of teleporting a Star Cradle.

 

Kolivan had been so smug about it.

 

“The next time someone makes fun about my rock collection”, his dad said with a smile. “I will remind them about this day.”

 

That comment earned them a smack, courtesy of Antok. It made Keith smile briefly, at least.

 

He still felt bad about letting Shiro leave. It felt like the crew was mere days away from Shiro’s eventual betrayal and the entire Imperial Fleet showing up at their metaphorical doorstep. It felt like waiting for something to blow up spectacularly in their collective faces.

 

This was made even worse by the fact that he was practically useless to the crew, now that they couldn't fly the ship—not with the gravity generator on. He was just an extra set of hands, practically useless compared to the others. At least Kolivan had a bare knowledge of engineering while Antok could lift whatever Slav and Coran needed him to. Even Allura was more useful than Keith, with her Altean powers or whatever.

 

It sucked. And Keith  _ hated _ it.

 

He couldn’t even keep himself occupied with his usual distraction tactics: blow things up in a game until he felt better about everything. He couldn’t bug his online friends too. It was only then he realized just how dependent he was to the interstellar network and all the convenience it provided him.

 

It was only four days into the teludav construction process, and Keith was on his way to the dining area, when Thace stopped him.

 

“Keith, can we talk?”

 

Keith hesitated, still remembering about the way Thace yelled at him. But that was days ago and Thace  _ did _ apologize already. Still, the situation aboard the  _ Marmora _ had been weird and awkward, and Keith would rather hide down in the cargo bay than face everyone right now.

 

But Thace’s grip on his shoulder was firm and the weight was comforting, in a way. He nodded, then followed Thace, who took him to the common room.

 

The common room was empty, as it should be. Everyone had been busy with the teludav construction— well, not  _ everyone _ , apparently. Resentment bubbled deep in Keith’s chest once again, but then Thace plopped him down on the nest bed.

 

He turned just in time to see Thace settling down on the nest bed himself. “Thace, what—”

 

“Hush”, was all Thace said. Not-said. “You’ve been tense for  _ days _ , we can practically feel it through the bond. I don’t understand how Kolivan can stand it, but Ulaz and I sure can’t.”

 

When Thace began to groom him, Keith relaxed almost immediately. There was still irritation, maybe indignation, but it was slowly smoothed away with each lap of Thace’s rough tongue against his skin. Keith shut his eyes and adjusted his position so he could lie down more comfortably on his uncle’s lap.

 

Thace said he wanted to talk—so Keith guessed he was waiting for him to open up. The silence was comfortable, though, and Keith let it hang between them until he couldn’t bear it any longer.

 

“Thace”, he started, licking his lips before continuing. “Do you think the Empire is… bad?”

 

Thace hummed and stopped his grooming. “What do you mean, Keith?”

 

Keith thought his uncle knew exactly what he meant, but he shrugged anyway. “I mean… they destroyed Daibazaal, Altea, and all those planets in the Alliance, but that was like… a very long time ago, right?”

 

Thace let out a snort.

 

“I’m very sure that Kolivan can do better explaining to you about how the loss of our home-planet left a long-lasting effect on us a species”, he said. 

 

“I won’t lie to you, Keith. I think you’re grown-up enough to understand about… things like this”, Thace resumed, heaving a sigh. “But it’s… undeniable that the Empire is keeping things in order. Without it, there will be chaos, dissent.  _ Stars _ , maybe a civil war will break out.”

 

His uncle had this solemn look on his face and Keith wondered if he was thinking back to his time in the Fleet. He wondered what caused Thace and Ulaz to quit and became spacefarers instead.

 

“It’s not as black and white as that”, Thace said. “If the Empire is good and just, would they send out the Fleet instead of asking about your intentions first? Don’t you think you deserve a fair trial? Do you think it's wrong for us to defend ourselves? To stay alive?”

 

Keith shook his head without hesitation. He would do anything within his power to keep his family safe—if he had to go against the whole Imperial Fleet, then he would do it.

 

“Shiro said it was really bad out there”, he finally said.

 

“It was”, Thace replied, though he didn’t elaborate further. “Is that why you've been moping?”

 

Keith smacked Thace's chest. “I did  _ not _ mope.”

 

Well… Maybe a little.

 

Thace snorted. “Sure thing, cub.”

 

They didn’t talk anymore after that— Thace resumed his grooming and soon Keith fell asleep.

 

— 

 

After his talk with Thace, Keith's mood, amazingly, got progressively better. Having a new duty around the ship definitely helped too.

 

He helped Ulaz to drag everyone away from the teludav project—a surprisingly difficult task. Not only because he was smaller than everyone working on it, but also because all of them were  _ incredibly _ stubborn. Ulaz was nearly in tears when Keith somehow managed to get Antok to sleep, but that was only one out of five.

 

“This project is incredibly important, Keith! We need to finish it immediately!” Slav yelled—actually shouted in Keith's face. Slav’s eyes were green-rimmed, and according to Ulaz, he hadn’t slept for  _ three days _ .

 

“You can’t finish anything if you don’t get some rest! You can’t even stand up straight!” Keith shouted back. Slav had been using two pairs of his hands to crawl around the workshop.

 

“Yes, I can!” Slav said stubbornly, before falling flat on his face—just as Keith expected.

 

Keith dumped Slav on Antok’s chest, snorting when Antok instinctively put his large hand on Slav’s back. Slav responded by curling like a ball, murmuring something about the teludav, and somehow Antok returned in similar manner.

 

Both of them were  _ asleep _ .

 

Shaking his head, he went to find for the other three on his list. He found Coran already snoring on the dining area, face smushed into the plate of food goo. Out of the goodness on his heart, Keith took the plate away from him, cleaned him up a little, and put a blanket over him.

 

He knew that he had to be smarter to get his dad to sleep, so he went to Ulaz to get some ammunition. Once his plan was ready, he headed down to the workshop only to find Kolivan and Allura were talking above the machinery they were currently working. 

 

The two of them stopped talking when Keith was within their sight.

 

“Trying to get us to sleep?” Kolivan squinted. “Don’t think I don’t know what you're trying to pull, cub.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “And here I am, trying to be a good son, bringing you two hot drinks to keep you up all night.”

 

“Oh, you don’t have to, Keith”, Allura perked up, her smile looking a little bit shaky. She also hadn't been sleeping properly and it  _ showed _ . There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was less poofy than usual.

 

Both Kolivan and Allura accepted the drink. But while Allura sipped it down without any caution, Kolivan sniffed at it before glaring at Keith suspiciously. “This isn't drugged, is it?”

 

Keith took their mug and took a gulp.

 

“Happy?” he asked, before handing the mug back to his dad.

 

Just as he expected, Ulaz’ highly potent sleep drug knocked him out five dobosh later. Allura was already asleep on the bench, while Keith clung to Kolivan like a newborn kit. No matter what his dad was tried to do, they were unable to shake him off. He felt through the bond the moment Kolivan’s resolve broke, and vaguely heard their sigh in his sleep-addled state.

 

He woke up a few varga later, with his dad’s arms wrapped around him protectively and their soft snore against his ears.

 

Keith smiled in victory and went back to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time the teludav was finished, the  _ Marmora _ had done three hyperjumps, zig-zagging from their initial route to avoid the Imperial Fleet. They still hadn’t seen any Imperial ships, but that didn’t mean they were not being searched for.

 

They rearranged the bridge a little so Allura could activate the teludav. Keith was on the helm, holding his breath. This would be the first time he piloted a teludav-powered ship— he didn’t even have the license for that  _ yet _ .

 

It didn’t matter anyway, since they were going to go against the Empire. They were technically  _ criminals _ . Piloting without license should be the lesser of their worry right now.

 

“All system’s operational”, Keith said.

 

“Navigation is ready”, Antok added.

 

“Turning off gravity generator now”, Slav chirped through the comm.

 

“We are ready to launch, Princess.” That was Kolivan.

 

When Allura activated the teludav, the ship hummed— it felt… different, though Keith couldn’t explain how. The ship’s hyperdrive generator had been using refined Balmera crystals as fuel for  _ years _ , so using it for teludav wormhole shouldn’t be  _ that _ different, right?

 

He didn’t have time to question it, because then space seemed to ripple and bright blue gate opened in front of the ship. Keith stared, mesmerized. This wormhole looked slightly different than the one that Haggar created a while back— the circles outside it looked more intricate. It was  _ beautiful _ .

 

Perhaps that was Altean royal bloodline in the work.

 

“No sign of abnormal activity from the wormhole”, Antok reported. “But then again, we didn’t get the scan from the Time Rift… Should we proceed?”

 

“Yes”, Allura answered.

 

Keith took a deep breath, before pushing the ship through the wormhole.

 

When they came out, Antok confirmed that they were in Arusia System. Keith half-listened as he tried to calm himself down. It passed all too soon, it was almost anticlimactic.

 

He knew that he shouldn’t have jinxed it.

 

Alarm blared almost at the same time as Antok shouting, “Incoming object!” and Keith saw a gargantuan creature he’d only seen from moving pictures before loomed outside the viewer: an Ancient Draconian.

 

It was so massive it probably could swallow their ship in one gulp and it wouldn’t feel a thing. Its size was beyond comprehension, so Keith wasn’t that surprised when the readings showed that it had its own gravitational field. Adjusting the ship to its gravity, Keith took the  _ Marmora _ parallel to its ridged back.

 

“I can’t believe my eyes…” Kolivan murmured. “It’s even  _ bigger _ than a Yalex.”

 

Keith winced, remembering that particular mission their crew took to retrieve a Yalexian pearl. The fortune they earned almost hadn’t been worth nearly getting incinerated into oblivion by its deadly beams. At least a Weblum was more  _ docile _ than a Yalex.

 

After spending half a varga scanning the system, they finally found the shuttle safely resting on the surface of a planet called Arus. At Kolivan’s signal, Keith turned the  _ Marmora _ to enter the planet’s atmosphere. It was the first time he had to do an atmospheric entry, descent, and landing— at least, the first time in non-simulation situation. He breathed out in relief when the  _ Marmora _ reached the surface without problem.

 

The Castleship, as Allura called it, was  _ gigantic _ . It made sense, in a way, since it housed all five Voltron Lions— and wasn’t that  _ beyond comprehension? _ Voltron, the stories of legends, was real. And all of the Paladins were still  _ alive _ , inside the cryostasis.

 

“I’m going to meet Emperor Zarkon…” Kolivan whispered as the whole crew walked down the ramp. Keith nodded in sentiment, his stomach doing funny flips.

 

“We’re the first group of Galra the Emperor is going to meet after ten thousand years of cryostasis”, Antok commented. He sounded really amused by this. “A bunch of bedraggled spacefarers and hybrids— _ OW! _ ”

 

Kolivan smacked the back of Antok’s head. His uncle took his revenge by wrapping his tail around Kolivan’s ankle, causing them to fall on their knee. Kolivan quickly hoisted themself up to their feet, dusting off their spacesuit while grumbling the whole time. Allura giggled.

 

The Castleship was protected in light blue particle barrier, which slowly dissipated as the group walked closer. Coran said something about how the Castle was linked to Allura’s lifeforce, and it had reacted to her presence. When its great gate opened, the  _ Marmora _ crew shared an amazed gasp.

 

“I’m sure Zarkon will appreciate your warm welcome”, she said as they all entered the Castle. “He’s like an uncle to me, and he’s always been nothing but kind and just. A good ruler to his people.”

 

“A  _ good _ ruler?!” Kolivan sounded incredulous. Keith shared a look with his uncles, knowing well about what was going to happen next.

 

“Emperor Zarkon brought the People of Galra into the Golden Era of technological advancement and interstellar travel! Without the research that Lady Honerva started and his total support, it’ll take us longer to achieve our current level in interstellar travel!”

 

Immediately, Antok, Thace, Ulaz, and Slav groaned, while Keith rolled his eyes.

 

“Someone make them stop…” Thace moaned, hands covering his ears. Kolivan snarled, lips pulling to bare teeth.

 

“Oh no, you don’t get to snarl”, Antok scolded. Without warning, he lifted Kolivan and slung them over his shoulder. Keith chuckled as he watched his dad struggling uselessly. Slav scampered from the top of Antok’s head and to nest inside Kolivan’s hood.

 

“Just give up, Dad. If you struggle less, maybe Antok will put you back on your feet by the time we meet the Emperor”, he offered peacefully.

 

Kolivan pouted.

 

Allura and Coran led them to a sloping hallway. Blue light lit up the way ahead of them all, guiding their path. The pristine Altean architecture gave Keith an uncanny feeling in his gut, especially with how  _ clean _ everything seemed to be. Like the whole castle had been preserved in stasis for the last ten thousand years, just like its inhabitants had.

 

Eventually, they reached a circular room with five cryopods stood like sarcophagus. Allura stilled in front of one of them, before squaring her shoulders and moving toward the controls at the center of the room. Keith turned his gaze to the pod and found an Altean man sleeping in stasis inside of it.

 

This could be none other than King Alfor; the King-Regent of Altea, the Red Paladin, and Allura’s father. It wasn’t hard to see their family resemblance— they shared the same brown skin, white hair, and even the shape of their nose. King Alfor looked older than Keith expected, but then again he was unfamiliar of Altean history and legend.

 

He moved to the other pods curiously— he couldn’t recognize the other three; a bulky Rygnir, a Merfolk, and an unknown being that Keith had never seen before. When he reached the last pod, he let a small, strangled squeal.

 

Kolivan immediately rushed to his side and gasped. “By  _ Zarkon _ …”

 

It was  _ the _ Emperor Zarkon himself, alright. Standing at least twice Keith’s height, he was the tallest Galra Keith had ever seen— not counting Antok. Unlike Antok, though, his figure was leaner, wrapped in what Keith assumed was the Paladin armor.

 

The next moment, the cryopod opened with a hiss, and the Emperor  _ stumbled _ out of it. “Honerva—”

 

Out of reflex, Keith caught the massive Galra, but soon he realized that both of them would end up sprawling on the floor, considering their height difference. He threw his dad a panicking look. 

 

But Kolivan was still as a statue, eyes wide and their hands covering their mouth. Keith recognized that look and knew that it wouldn’t end well— his dad was going to begin hyperventilating.

 

“D-dad? A little help?”

 

That seemed to snap Kolivan out of their state. Ears drooping, his dad rushed to shoulder the Emperor’s weight. “Sorry. Sorry. Um. Uh.”

 

Emperor Zarkon seemed to finally gather his bearings and stood a little bit straighter. His red pupils shifted from Kolivan, then to Keith, who fidgeted under his stare. 

 

Huh… Keith mused. So the Galra from ten thousand years ago had pupils? His hybrid friends would be happy to know this—before Keith remembered sadly that he currently had no way to contact them.

 

“You are… Galra”, the Emperor sounded surprised, before a wide smile split his face. “You two survived Daibazaal’s destruction! This is— This is truly amazing!”

 

When the Emperor looked around, his expression turned even brighter as his eyes met the  _ Marmora _ crew. “There are more Galra!” he laughed, bright and joyful.

 

“Uh, My Emperor…?” Ulaz waved his hand timidly— Keith would’ve never used  _ timid _ to describe his uncle, but he fully understood Ulaz’ hesitation; how were they  _ supposed _ to address the freaking Emperor himself? 

 

The people of Galra had been scattered all over the Axocarium Empire, divided into small fractions, practically without an unifying leader and  _ powerless _ . They didn’t know the etiquette when faced with actual royalty from the old Daibazaal, the  _ king _ of their ancestors.

 

But Zarkon didn’t seem to mind, and he turned to face Ulaz with curiosity that could only be rivaled by a young cub in a toy store. Ulaz straightened up at the attention, ears perking up.

 

“Actually, there are… around fifty thousand Galra who survived the destruction of Daibazaal ten thousand years ago”, the doctor finished.

 

“Fifty— wait.” Zarkon’s smile faltered. And that was the moment Keith realized how badly Ulaz fucked up.

 

“Ten thousand years? How long have I been in cryostasis?” Zarkon turned, eyes searching the room wildly. Keith stepped back and looked around to see three of the Paladins had been awakened from the cryostasis. King Alfor somehow was still in the cryopod while Allura was frantically working on the control panel.

 

“It had been… ten thousand years, My Lord”, Kolivan answered, hesitant, though they stood in front of Keith as if to shield him from the Emperor’s burning gaze. “Princess Allura said the ship went through… the Time Rift?”

 

When Zarkon sank to the floor, hand on his forehead. It was almost as surprising as his outburst.

 

The unknown Paladin approached the Emperor cautiously and sat by his side. She placed her hand on his shoulder gently.

 

“We left our people defenseless for ten thousand years”, Emperor Zarkon said. He sounded utterly defeated. “What should we do now, Trigel?”

 

The name suddenly clicked in Keith's mind. The woman was none other than Magistrate Trigel of Dalterion Belt and the Green Paladin. Keith recognized her name from the tales of Voltron, Trigel the Daring. The other two Paladins had to be Gyrgan the Kind and Blaytz the Brave.

 

They looked  _ very _ different from the way they were depicted in artistic rendition. Keith let out a snort, but shrank when the four Paladins pinned him down with their confused stare.

 

“Um… sorry”, Keith mumbled. “But you five, the Paladins of Voltron, are like. Legendary figures. There are books and movies and—” He nodded at Gyrgan and Blaytz shyly. “—you look…  _ different? _ ”

 

The blue Merfolk tilted his head to the side, sharp fangs baring. “Good different or bad different?”

 

Trigel let out an exasperated trill. “Quit scaring the cub, Blaytz”, she scolded. 

 

Keith wanted to smack his own forehead, voice his protest— or both. Even the Green Paladin thought he was just a cub. Blaytz the Blue Paladin chuckled.

 

Suddenly, the Castleship shook with a loud boom. Keith stumbled and instinctively reached out for Kolivan, who tucked him to their side.

 

“What’s happening?” Emperor Zarkon shouted above the chaos.

 

“Oh no!” Coran cried out. He was at the panels by the wall, three holoscreens in front of him. “It's the Axocarium Fleet! They're above Arus’ orbit!”

 

“Damn Human…” Kolivan hissed— and their words shook Keith even more than anything he had learned today.

 

Did Shiro really betray them? No, he couldn’t have. The Bureau kept track of any and all spacefaring routes and they probably found out about the  _ Marmora’s _ coordinates through the plan they submitted before their flight started.

 

Keith  _ wanted _ to believe that. He didn’t want to believe that Shiro would really sell them out to the Axocarians.

 

“Everyone, to your Lion!” Emperor Zarkon ordered.

 

“There's something wrong with Father’s cryopod! I can’t get him to wake up!” Allura cried. Ulaz and Kolivan immediately rushed to her and tried to find out how to help her.

 

Zarkon cursed under his breath. “Well, the rest of us will get up there first. He can follow after he wakes up, but we will need Voltron.”

 

With that, the four Paladins rushed out of the room and Keith watched the Lions soaring up to the sky from the screen, his stomach tight from excitement and fear. The Lions moved like no ship he'd ever seen before. They worked together and sliced through the Imperial Fleet like a luxite blade, deadly and precise.

 

“Uhh, Cap”, Thace's voice broke Keith out of his amazement. “I guess we should… get our ship out of range maybe. Those cannons can reach the ground, it seems.”

 

Kolivan looked torn between wanting to help Allura or save their home. Ulaz gave them a quick ear flick.

 

“Go. My assistance is more needed here”, he said. “Yours is more needed up there.”

 

With that settled, Kolivan led the rest of the crew out of the Castleship. It was an actual  _ battlefield _ out there, ion bullets flying everywhere. Antok picked up Keith and Slav, throwing them over his shoulders, and shielded them as they headed to their ship.

 

But then a stray bullet hit the ground in front of them, sending dust and debris into the air. Keith screamed as he and Slav were thrown into the air. Activating his jetpack, he zoomed towards Slav and threw him back to Antok like a huge green ball. But he was too dizzy to maneuver in the air and plummeted to the ground.

 

He shut his eyes as the ground grew closer, the wind roaring loudly in his ears. No— it wasn’t the wind. Slowly, he opened his eyes and found that he was safe within the maw of the Red Lion of Voltron.

 

The Lion purred, the sound of it reverberating deep in his core, tickling at the place where Keith's bond to his family held. A new strand formed, bright and fiery, and Keith gasped when it coiled around his family bond protectively.

 

“What does this mean…?” He furrowed his brows. The Red Lion, of course, did not reply him verbally. Instead, images flashes in his mind, of age old past and long forgotten. Of Voltron and the Age of Peace before the Axocarium Empire  _ ruined _ everything.

 

“But... But why? Why did you choose me? Don't you already have King Alfor as your Paladin?”

 

The Red Lion was still silent, but Keith could feel it nudging him into the cockpit. Inside, the comm was on and the other Paladins were shouting at each other.

 

Keith didn't know what he should do, but when he sat down on the pilot chair, everything seemed to adjust to his size, allowing him to grip the controls with ease. It soared up into the sky without much prompting, joining the other Lions above the planet’s atmosphere.

 

“Alfor? Alfor, is that you?” One of the holoscreens popped, showing Emperor Zarkon's face.

 

“Um”, Keith didn't know how to answer that.

 

“Kid?! What are you doing in the Red Lion? Get out of there!” Blaytz shouted at him.

 

Keith  _ tried _ not to growl at his tone. “Look. I don't  _ know _ what's happening, okay? I fell and the next, it caught-- _ holy mother of Zarkon! _ ”

 

An Axocarian Cruiser suddenly appeared on the screen. Keith twisted the controls and the Red Lion shot right through it— no,  _ they _ did that. Both of them worked together in unity.

 

It took Keith exactly five ticks to realize what he had shouted in his panic.

 

“ _ Oh my stars, _ I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that!” Keith wanted to hide forever. He did  _ not _ just curse the Emperor's  _ mother’s _ name while said Emperor was  right  _ there _ . The Emperor didn't look angry though, but he certainly didn't look amused either.

 

“Please refrain from using my mother's name in such manner”, Emperor Zarkon said. “Especially because she was not a holy woman.”

 

That was a joke. That had to be a joke, right? He didn't know which turning point of his life that was most bizarre; him and his family ending up being a bunch of space pirates thanks to some millennia-old conspiracy, being chosen by the Red Lion, or the fact that the legendary Emperor Zarkon the Protector just cracked a joke at him.

 

Thankfully, he was spared from having to respond, when the comm turned on again.

 

“This… has never happened before”, Trigel hummed solemnly. “Two Paladins for one Lion? Surely the Red Lion would not abandon Alfor?”

 

“I received the comm from Coran. He confirms that Alfor's condition is stabilizing, and he definitely still  _ lives _ ”, Gyrgan added.

 

“We can discuss that later. For now, we need to clear a path so the Castleship can escape”, Zarkon decides. Another screen popped up— this time, it was Allura in a room that looked like the bridge of the Castleship. 

 

“Allura, can you bring the ship up and open the wormhole?” asked the Emperor.

 

“Yes, I can do that”, Allura nodded, determination on her face.

 

“Alright, Paladins! Destroy as many ships as you can! Divert their attention away from the Castleship!” Zarkon commanded.

 

He was a Paladin too, Keith realized as he pushed the Red Lion forward. He was a Paladin now, and he didn't know how it happened, but it felt… familiar, somewhat. The Red Lion's controls felt familiar in his grip, as if he was already doing this for years.

 

And the Red Lion flew nothing like Keith had ever flown before. It was faster, smoother— flying it was absolutely unlike flying the  _ Marmora _ , but somehow Keith could fly the Red Lion better. It was as if before he had been fettered by the technological constraints of the  _ Marmora's _ clunky controls. It was… so  _ weird _ .

 

And it was like having the whole bridge crew in his head, with the Red Lion helping him map a path that would cause the most destruction and pointing him where to shoot. Its artillery was  _ brutal, _ and both of them left a fiery streak of destruction behind.

 

Something caught in his peripheral vision and automatically, the Red Lion zoomed the image on the viewer without prompting.

 

It was the  _ Marmora _ .

 

The small exploration vessel was like a tiny dot amongst the Axocarian Flighters and Cruisers. Kolivan probably had taken the helm, like they did before Keith got his pilot license. But it had been awhile since Kolivan had the helm, and it showed.

 

When one of the Cruisers' ion cannon was charging in what Keith realized was the  _ Marmora' _ s blind spot, he pushed the Red Lion and  _ charged _ , urging it to go faster and faster with all his might.

 

The Lion formed a weapon; a Jawblade, it was called. It sliced through the Cruiser's cannon as if it was made out of fabric. Keith laughed, and the next, he sliced the Cruiser into three.

 

The comm turned on and this time, it was Kolivan's frowning face greeting him. “Keith, what are you doing?! Get out of there!”

 

“What do you mean? I'm trying to protect you guys!” Keith shot back. Red flashed on the front viewer and Keith shot a couple of Flighters straying too close to the Marmora. Once he was done, he focused back to his dad— and then it hit him.

 

His dad was  _ worried _ , that was understandable. One moment they saw him getting thrown into the air, the next he was in the Red Lion and fighting at the thick of the Imperial Fleet.

 

“Red Paladin! Kid!” Zarkon commed him. “Where are you?”

 

Keith gave his dad and the  _ Marmora _ one long look. Before cutting off the comm, he saw Kolivan gave him a resigned nod. It gave him strength, more than anything, and he took the Red Lion back into formation with the other Lions. At least the Castleship was already up in the orbit and it took the Marmora inside its particle barrier.

 

“Don't break up the formation”, Zarkon chided. Keith couldn't bring himself to apologize— there was nothing to apologize for. His family was in danger, so he went to protect them.

 

After that, the battle continued. Keith followed whatever Emperor Zarkon ordered him to do and before he knew it, he was already at the thickest of it. He didn't have to worry about keeping watch of his back, Gyrgan told him— that was the Blue Lion and the Yellow Lion were for.

 

Slowly but surely, Keith began to understand the role of each Lions. The Black Lion was the spearhead. It charged ahead and cut through the thickest of the enemy's defenses. The Green and Red Lions were smaller, more nimble. They were good for hit and run. The Blue and Yellow Lions were defenses. They were bigger and had the thickest armor.

 

And it felt just like his games, except that there was no tutorial about how to pilot the Lion and there were higher stakes. If they messed up, Keith's family-- no, the  _ entire _ Universe would be in danger. Keith couldn't believe that he was doing it, and he didn't want to think what would happen if he had to choose between saving his family or saving the Universe. Not now.

 

The Voltron Lions managed to open up the path for the Castleship and the  _ Marmora _ , but there were simply too many enemies for Allura to open a wormhole. Cruiser after cruiser came out of the warp and joined the battle— it felt like they were going to fight the  _ whole _ Imperial Fleet just to escape Arus.

 

As if on cue, Keith heard the telltale noise of a massive ship coming out of the warp— and the next, a Star Cradle loomed just above Arus’ orbit.

 

Keith would've thought that the gargantuan ship looked hauntingly beautiful; sharp, geometrical angles that seemed too mathematically perfect. Blue angular lines glowed on the dark surface, and they pulsed rhythmically like a heart beating.

 

So he was right, after all. The Axocarium Empire had never decommissioned the Star Cradles after the war and the Colonial Era.

 

Blaytz cursed out loud, snapping Keith out of his trance. “Why does that  _ thing _ still exist?!”

 

“We need to form Voltron!” Gyrgan yelled and Keith wished— he wished everyone would just  _ shut up _ . He was scared, he wasn't ready for this, but Voltron was the only thing standing between the Star Cradle and the  _ Marmora _ , his family, his  _ home _ .

 

“Kid, it's going to be okay. Listen to us, it's going to be okay”, Zarkon reassured in his ears, and how could he  _ say that? _ Keith wanted to believe him, but the Star Cradle was just  _ right there _ and it was going to destroy everything in this solar system. Could Voltron even defeat it?

 

Warm, reassuring waves wrapped around him like a blanket, like his family piling all around him on the nest bed and Keith felt— calmer. There was destruction all around him, and there were still more Flighters and Cruisers, ready to rend them to pieces. And yet, Keith felt calm. Determined.

 

“It’s going to be okay, but you need to work with us”, Zarkon's voice was gentle, even though Keith could feel— he could  _ feel _ emotions, coming from the other Paladins. Fear, uncertainty, grief, determination—  _ sheer _ determination, bright and burning like a thousand suns. Their emotions linked to his through whatever bond that linked them all together, soothing him, strengthening his resolve.

 

“Tell me what to do”, he eventually said.

 

“Let's fly in formation”, Zarkon replied. “You are a Galra, right? Keith, is that your name? Can you visualize our Paladin bond, five threads joining into one?”

 

So that was what it was, Keith mused. He felt the bond, the Paladin bond, thrumming at the back of his head. Five threads connected him to the other Paladins, even King Alfor, intertwining into one single rope.

 

He could feel his family bond too. He felt Antok sending encouragement, like a firm hand pushing him forward. There were Thace and Ulaz too, their reassurance warm and comforting. And then, there was Kolivan.

 

Keith could still feel worry emanating from his dad, mixed with pride, love, sadness and a jumble of emotions that were too confusing for him. But most of all, he could feel an unwavering belief in him. It brought tears to his eyes.

 

“Thanks, Dad…” he whispered under his breath, reaching out into the two bonds, and flew into the light.

 

When Voltron was finally formed, everything seemed too much, but it wasn't..  an unpleasant feeling, though not exactly. He could feel five Paladins and five Lions joining into a singular entity, driven by their determination to protect the Castleship, protect his family, protect the Universe— 

 

“Form sword!” Zarkon barked and he didn't have to say it out loud, Keith thought. They were all connected and Keith knew what to do. There was no way he could've known, this was his first time piloting the Lion, but at the back of his head, it felt like he always knew.

 

A device appeared in his hand, black and white with red accents. He inserted it into the panel to his right and  _ twisted _ . A sword formed in Voltron's hand.

 

They charged forward, but the Imperial Fleet was ready. The Cruisers moved into a formation to shield the Star Cradle, their particle barriers up and their cannons shooting at them. A shield was formed— by Trigel —and the cannon blast hit the shield dead on, the impact rattling him down to his core.

 

Voltron was pinned down, they couldn't move away. They were the only thing standing between the cannon blasts and the Castleship, the  _ Marmora _ , and Arus.

 

But then, it stopped. The upper row of the Cruisers exploded in bright fiery flame. Keith turned just in time to see the Great Veloxian Archive had entered the battlefield, along with what could be the entirety of the Archivemaster Guild.

 

They came in small ships, flitting between the Axocarian Flighters and Cruisers. They attacked in droves, causing enough distraction for Voltron to pierce through the Cruisers. Zarkon had done something to set the sword ablaze, and they tore through the barricade as if it was nothing.

 

“Who are these little guys?” Gyrgan asked.

 

Keith laughed. “They're a bunch of  _ very _ angry librarians!”

 

He could feel the others' confusion and laughed harder. There would be a time to explain, but not now. For now, they had a Star Cradle to destroy.

 

“We need to destroy the core before it can generate a singularity!” Trigel cried out.

 

The Star Cradle looked even more terrifying up close. It was made out of three separate parts, each rotated to different direction. There was a circular opening at its center where an Axocarian Maestro resided, suspended seemingly by nothing. 

 

It was the first time Keith saw an Axocarian Maestro up close and to be honest, he didn't know what to expect. It didn't look blocky and lumbering like the Drones. Instead, it looked humanoid enough, in a creepy, cubistic way.

 

It reminded Keith of a Human's biblical figure of an angel. The Axocarians certainly thought they were heavenly beings, above all biological needs and limitations, so the comparison was kinda fitting, in Keith's mind.

 

Its rotating 'head' looked like gear mechanism, with halo-like geometrical crown around it. It didn't have what any humanoid beings would call a face, but it had a blue glowing center that Keith assumed was its 'eye'. Instead of arms, it had tapering appendages that branched out into several pointy ends in a twisted resemblance of a biological hand. 

 

It held a blue sphere of light from where the blue glowing vines on the Star Cradle originated from. This had to be the 'core' that Trigel had mentioned.

 

The Cruisers swarmed from all directions, desperately trying to protect the Maestro. The Guild ships stalled them, giving a clear path to Voltron. Even the Great Archive helped, shooting concentrated ion cannons whenever it could. 

 

When Voltron's blazing sword pierced into the Star Cradle's core, the other Paladins had done something to make the sword grow even longer, long enough to slice through the whole thing  into two. It exploded in bright, violent blast, but Trigel was faster. She had deployed the shield to protect them and the Guild's ships from the worst of it.

 

And then, it was over.

 

No, Keith realized with dread. It was not over yet. More and more Cruisers spilled into the battlefield. At the same moment, the Great Veloxian Archive opened a wormhole— Haggar, that was the second time the mysterious Altean had helped them to escape. The wormhole allowed the Great Archive, the Castleship, the  _ Marmora _ , and whatever left from the Archivemaster Guild's ships to pass through. 

 

Gyrgan had to form an artillery barrage cannon to hit multiple targets at once. Once the last of the Guild's ships went through, Voltron followed and the wormhole shut behind them.

 

Feeling utterly drained, Keith sank back into the pilot chair. 

 

He'd done it. He destroyed the Star Cradle and protected his family. The Red Lion purred in pride and comfort. Before he finally passed out from exhaustion, he vaguely felt mental embrace coming from both his family and the rest of the Paladins.

 

— 

 

When Keith woke up, he found out that he couldn't breathe.

But he wasn't in danger, not anymore. No, instead, he couldn't breathe because his family apparently had decided to pile themselves on top of him.

They were all asleep on a nest bed, but the room they were in was unfamiliar, it didn't look like it was inside the  _ Marmora _ . It certainly didn't smell like engine grease, burnt cooking, medical substance, and whatever it was that made the  _ Marmora _ smelled uniquely  _ home _ .

At least Keith was surrounded by his family. Antok hugged him from his right side, while Kolivan on his left. Thace spooned Kolivan and Ulaz spooned Thace, but both their arms were long enough to grasp at Keith's sleeping tunic tightly, as if afraid that he would disappear in his sleep. Meanwhile, Slav had decided to curl on top of him like an oversized cat, thick green tail wrapped around him securely.

Keith had never felt more safe.

 

Blinking the light from his eyes, only then Keith realized the seventh occupant in the room: King Alfor.

 

The old Altean king looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes. It eerily reminded Keith of Allura, back when they were still building the teludav and it was... weird. They were definitely family, alright, though Keith still didn't know what Coran was to Allura.

 

Well, that wasn't his business.

 

King Alfor seemed to realize that Keith was awake and inclined his head slightly.

 

“Um. Hello”, Keith greeted awkwardly, unsure about what to do. What did King Alfor want from him? Was he going to tell Keith that now that he had awakened, Keith's temporary position as the Red Paladin was no longer needed?

 

An irritated growl echoed inside Keith's head, causing him to flinch slightly— the Red Lion, Keith realized. As if trying to protect him from invisible threat, Kolivan tightened his grip around his waist— maybe a little too tight for his comfort.

 

King Alfor chuckled. “I see that you just did something that warrants the Red Lion's displeasure, although I don’t know what.”

 

Keith blinked confusedly, before realizing that both of them were still connected to the Red Lion.

 

“It appears that after ten thousand years, the Voltron Lions have finally decided that it was time to choose new Paladins for the new era”, King Alfor said. “And you are in a very unique position. Keith, isn't it?”

 

Keith nodded, still unsure how to react.

 

“It appears that you have been chosen as the first apprentice of the Paladins and future Defenders of the Universe”, King Alfor continued. “It is a sacred duty and all that. I'm sure we can teach you more in details later, hmm?”

 

“Not if I have a say against it.”

 

Keith yelped when his dad rose from the nest bed, followed by his uncles. They were all shielding him from King Alfor, glaring at the old Altean king-- and it would probably work better if they didn't look like they just got dragged through hell and back.

 

King Alfor hesitated slightly, but otherwise he didn't look threatened.

 

“The Red Lion has chosen him. I understand that Keith is still very young—”

 

“He's  _ too young _ still!” Kolivan hissed, and while Keith understood that his dad simply wanted to protect him, he still felt a flare of anger.

 

“Dad, please…” he sighed. He was still too exhausted for this.

 

“You're only an adult on technicality—”

 

“I'm not a cub anymore!” Keith growled. He wanted to pull his hair out. “You can't keep coddling me just because you think this is unsafe—”

 

“ _ Unsafe?! _ ” Kolivan's voice reached a new pitch that Keith thought wasn't possible. “You went against the  _ Star Cradle _ , Keith!  _ Safe _ was in another plane of reality the moment you stepped into the Red Lion's cockpit! I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I realized what happened!”

 

“Technically I didn't  _ step _ into the Red Lion's cockpit, she  _ caught _ me”, Keith mumbled under his breath.

 

Kolivan's mane bristled.

 

“Um, if I may”, King Alfor interrupted. “This is actually the first time this… apprenticeship has happened so we still don't know yet how to proceed. If we start training Keith now, it might take years until he's fully trained and allowed in the battlefield. What happened yesterday was… a special circumstance, I daresay.”

 

“Then what will happen if you are incapacitated again and Keith's training is still not over?” Kolivan challenged. “Will you send him into battle because the Universe needs Voltron?”

 

“We might, yes”, King Alfor replied, raising a hand when Kolivan opened their mouth. “Though we will make certain restrictions, safety precautions if you may, to ensure his safety. The Paladins of Voltron are not easily replaceable. It was the reason why I put my fellow Paladins and myself in the cryostasis when things became too dire for us to continue the fight.”

 

Well, Keith didn't want to be iced only to find that all his family and friends were long dead. Antok seemed to understand his thought, because his uncle immediately pulled him into his hug. King Alfor gave them a fond smile.

 

“This situation is still very new to us. We will discuss it later when we have time”, the Altean King stood and patted invisible dust on his clothes. “For now, I think someone has been waiting to talk to you for quite awhile.”

 

Keith raised his eyebrows, before turning to the open door. 

 

“Shiro?” He couldn't believe his eyes. It was really Shiro, dressed in simple clothes. The Human ducked into the room, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment at being caught snooping.

 

“Can I talk with Keith?” Shiro asked. At Kolivan's snarl, he added. “In private?”

 

Keith didn't want to leave the nest bed just yet, but Shiro seemed serious. He was about to clamber up, when his family left the nest bed one by one, though with a lot of grumbling. As Antok shoved off both Thace and Ulaz when they tried to stay, Slav immediately perched around his neck. King Alfor said his goodbye too, before leaving the room.

 

“Dad, I'll be fine”, Keith rolled his eyes.

 

Kolivan pinned Shiro with a deadly glare. “If you hurt my son, by Zarkon's name, I will repay you tenfold”, they growled, pausing. Scrunching their nose, they turned to face Keith again. “This is still really weird.”

 

Keith chuckled tiredly. He definitely could relate to that— he  _ did _ curse out the Emperor's mother's name in the heat of the battle. His dad couldn't be worse than that.

 

Eventually, Kolivan too left the room. Shiro fidgeted in front of the nest bed.

 

“Sit down, I'm not gonna hurt my neck to look at you in the eye”, Keith rolled his eyes.

 

Shiro blinked, before slowly sinking down on the edge of the nest bed.

 

“So”, the Human started. “I left for a month and suddenly you're the Red Paladin now?”

 

“Apprentice, apparently”, Keith shrugged. “And with you here, I assume that you didn't sell us out to the Axocarium Empire because otherwise my dad would've tossed you out of the airlock long before I woke up.”

 

Shiro grimaced. “I get your suspicion, but. Ow.”

 

Keith tilted his head, urging Shiro to continue. And he did.

 

“After I ran away, I tried to do a lot of thinking. Self-introspection. Trying to figure out things from different perspective”, Shiro sighed, toying with his bionic arm. “I used to have an Axocarian handler to help me get back to my feet. Both literally and figuratively. I feel like… I owe them, you know?”

 

Keith's eyes were drawn to Shiro's bionic arm— before the thought hit him. The arm had been Axocarian design. Shiro lost his arm, and the Empire gave it back.

 

“But I guess your uncle was right, in a way. The Empire doesn't care about biological beings”, Shiro turned away. “If they cared, there probably won't be slaver ships going around terrorizing people.”

 

“I'm not informed enough about this”, Keith said. “Yeah, you're right, I didn't know how bad it is out there. But if my dad hadn't found me and took me in, I probably would end up dead or enslaved.”

 

Shiro turned to face him, eyes wide.

 

Oh. Right. He didn't know. “I was dumped in some space port as a baby. My dad found me, adopted me. Raised me like their own son.”

 

“Do you… ever found out about your real parents?” Shiro asked.

 

“I never knew who my  _ biological _ parents are, but I don't… really care, you know?” Keith shrugged. “The  _ Marmora _ crew is my  _ real _ family. We have the bond and all.”

 

Shiro ducked his head. “Right, sorry.”

 

There was silence for a moment, before Keith spoke again. “So… what changed your mind?”

 

“The Empire itself, actually”, Shiro sighed. “They knew about your coordinates through the route you submitted before taking off, but they didn't know where to find the Great Veloxian Archive so they went after me to ask about it as if I had a clue.”

 

The Human clasped his hands and looked down. “The Maestro I was 'talking' to kept reciting about the importance of keeping certain information hidden so it wouldn't cause panic. It was super creepy.”

 

“Yeah, they did that. It pissed off Haggar to no end”, Keith snorted. 

 

“She's really scary, you know? Haggar?” Shiro chuckled weakly. “Out of nowhere, the Guild members appeared and bailed me out. They took me back to the Great Archive. When I told them what the Empire wanted from me, she  _ flipped _ .”

 

That really sounded like Haggar.

 

“Then I assume she rallied the Guild and went to Arus after you told her about Voltron?” Keith asked.

 

Shiro nodded. “Basically.”

 

Wow… Okay, Keith had to admit that was really awesome.

 

They talked about lighter topics, after that, not wanting to think about an impending war breaking across the known Universe. Keith told Shiro that he owed the  _ Marmora _ an escape pod because he took their last one, while Shiro teased Keith about his first time piloting the Red Lion. Mostly Shiro was curious about how it felt, if it was really better than any other ship. 

 

It was fun and lighthearted, and Keith had missed this.

 

Eventually, Keith's stomach growled, interrupting their chat about the Paladins. Keith blushed purple, ducking his head.

 

“Want me to get you some food?” Shiro offered, and Keith didn't know why the Human was being extra nice to him today.

 

Keith shook his head before slipping out of the nest bed. “Nah, I've had enough staying in bed”, he answered. “Wanna join me?”

 

“Sure.”

 

They walked side by side in the unfamiliar hallway-- they had to be inside the Castleship, judging from the Altean design of... well, everything. Keith wondered if the Castleship also housed the  _ Marmora _ . It was certainly large enough to house all five Voltron Lions.

 

Shiro seemed to know where to go, though, so Keith could only follow him. 

 

Soon they reached out a vast room with a table large enough to host all five (six?) Paladins, the  _ Marmora _ crew, Allura, Coran, and Haggar-- and still had a couple empty seats. A dining room, Keith thought, judging from the food overflowing on the table. It was the largest feast Keith had ever seen.

 

When Keith entered the room, the Paladins were immediately on their feet and rushed to crowd around him. It was a little bit overwhelming and a little bit condescending, especially with the way Blaytz patting his head and Trigel pinching his cheek.

 

“Friends, stop crowding my apprentice”, Alfor chuckled, his hand resting on Keith's shoulder protectively.

 

“Come on, Alfor. Currently, you're the only one who even has an apprentice”, Gyrgan laughed, pulling Keith into a bone-crushing hug. Keith felt like he could hear something inside him pop.

 

“I wonder if our Lions will choose an apprentice too”, Trigel mused out loud. “That would be so exciting! A new generation of Paladins!”

 

“Actually, I think my Lion has already chosen one”, Zarkon paused, a small smile on his face. He turned to Shiro, who looked slightly uncomfortable being surrounded. “Takashi Shirogane, right? What do you think about joining the Defenders of the Universe?”

 

Oh.

 

_ Stars. _

 

Shiro's reaction was just exactly like Keith imagined his own reaction would be— if he didn't get chosen immediately before a battle. Shiro's eyes were wide and his jaw slack. He turned from Zarkon, to Keith, then back to Zarkon again.

 

“That would—” Shiro croaked out, clearing his throat. “That would be an honor, Sir.”

 

Keith immediately lunged to wrap his arms around Shiro. Both of them were going to be Paladins-in-training together!

 

“I'm so happy for you, Shiro!” he giggled, pressing his forehead against Shiro's, before he realized what he did. Blushing up to his ears, he pulled back.

 

“Aww, young love”, Blaytz cooed. “I remember when young Alfor had a crush to Princess Fala and tripped on his own foot whenever she walked by.”

 

“Blaytz…” King Alfor groaned, putting his face in his hands.

 

“We need to celebrate our victory!” Gyrgan boomed. “And to our two Apprentices!”

 

Before Keith could resist, the Paladins ushered Keith to sit in the seat of honor and Shiro next to him. Zarkon took the head of the table, naturally, while the rest of the Paladins claimed the empty spots on his left and Shiro's right.

 

This arrangement meant Keith was halfway across the table to his family. He glanced at the  _ Marmora _ crew who had mixed looks on their face. Thace grinned and gave him two thumbs up-- a Human gesture that they picked up from various Human crewmembers before Shiro. Ulaz smiled too and gave him a curt nod. It was hard to gauge Antok's mood, especially since his uncle had his mask on, but Slav waved his hands at him and smiled bright.

 

Kolivan, though— they looked sad, but they smiled proudly when Keith's eyes met theirs, before turning to smack Thace's hand when he tried to reach for the food.

 

Zarkon stood and tapped his cup with a spoon to get everyone's attention. Keith forced himself to turn his attention away from his family and at the Black Paladin.

 

“The Voltron Alliance had lost so much. So many lives were gone and so many civilizations were destroyed without mercy”, Zarkon's eyes shifted to the side— he was glancing at Haggar, Keith realized. Probably because it was her sacred duty to preserve knowledge about those civilizations.

 

“But yesterday we won our first battle against the Axocarium Empire and gained new allies. The Archivemaster Guild, the Exploration Vessel  _ Marmora _ crew. We thank you for your support and bravery”, Zarkon continued. Keith turned and watched Kolivan and Haggar rose their cups at the mention.

 

“And not only that, yesterday we found that the Lions had chosen a new generation of Paladins!” Zarkon turned to Shiro and Keith, beaming. Keith rose his own cup, ducking his head in embarrassment. 

 

“To the new era!” they cheered.


	7. Chapter 7

Flying had always been Keith’s favorite.

 

Soaring up in the vastness of space, Keith forgot about everything else, for a moment. When he was flying, there was only him and the Red Lion— 

 

“Keith, get down here right this instant!”

 

— and King Alfor too. Keith pouted. He could almost hear the Red Lion’s laughter.

 

“Playtime’s over, buddy”, Shiro appeared on the screen too, looking sheepish.

 

Both of them had taken their Lions for a spin inside the nebula the Castleship was hiding in. There was no war in this side of the Universe, so Shiro figured they would be safe enough to fly without anyone noticing. Obviously, they conveniently ‘forgot’ to tell both King Alfor and Emperor Zarkon about their escapades.

 

Both Paladins were already waiting for them in the hangar. Alfor looked amused, but Zarkon was downright  _ murderous _ . At least Keith knew now that when the Galran Emperor was angry at them, it meant that he was worried.

 

“That was very irresponsible of you, Takashi! What were you thinking, taking the Black Lion and Keith out like that? What if an enemy scout sees you?!” Zarkon went off on his tirade, but paused when Shiro gave him a doe-eyed pout.

 

“Did you two bond with your Lions? Did you two have fun?” Alfor asked before Zarkon could start his rant again.

 

“Yep and yep”, Keith answered with a grin.

 

“Good”, Alfor smiled. “Then you two won’t have a problem going against the gladiator bots again, right? Level eleven, or maybe twelve?”

 

Keith and Shiro groaned at the same time.

 

Finally excused, Keith and Shiro trudged to the training deck, leaving both older Paladins at the hangar. Keith slumped forward as he walked.

 

“I can’t believe he made us train again after today…” he groaned. Today’s training had been particularly hard, since they just moved up from level ten. Turned out there was a  _ huge _ disparity between level ten training and level eleven.

 

“Well, I think it’s a fair punishment”, Shiro shrugged. “Remember the last time Trigel found out we were flying after curfew?”

 

Keith remembered that. Trigel gave them latrine duty for  _ one month _ , no helper bots allowed. He shuddered at the memory. “Okay, fair enough. I’d rather get my butt kicked on the training deck again than  _ that _ .”

 

But still. Keith just wanted to spend time with Shiro. After the Voltron Alliance started the campaign against the Axocarium Empire, Keith and Shiro barely had time for themselves, especially after they found Apprentices for the rest of the Lions. Every spare time they spent on physical training, combat training, flight training, and bonding with each others.

 

A nudge to his shoulder broke him out of his musing.

 

“Race you to the training deck?” Shiro grinned at him, before breaking into a run.

 

“That’s not fair!” Keith cried out, trying to catch up after the Human.

 

They ended up running in the hallways, got yelled at by Kolivan, and had to spend the rest of the night trying to beat the training bots with little success.

 

In the end, it wasn’t that bad of a night, in Keith’s opinion.

**Author's Note:**

> go check [my tumblr](https://xblackpaladin.tumblr.com/) guys!


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